


Glacial Retreat

by Fai_Gensou



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, At least trying to, Butterfly Effect, Gen, Hollow Form, Hybrid!Ichigo, Hybrid!Ichigo impacting events, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protecting the protector, Rukia is useful before Soul Society, Shinigami/Zanpakutou Bond, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2020-12-14 12:53:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21016082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fai_Gensou/pseuds/Fai_Gensou
Summary: His soul destroyed itself fighting Aizen, but it hadn’t been enough. Letting Aizen out of his laughably trivial (in their eyes) punishment was the last straw. So she goes back, bearing knowledge and memories in her soul, and three goals:Save Kurosaki Ichigo.Kill Aizen Sousuke.And, when an ancient enemy returns, preserve the balance.(she forget how stubborn he was, when it came to protecting)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am a horrible, horrible person for starting yet another new story when I haven't finished the ones I've started. But you'll read it anyway.
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.

The first thing Rukia was aware of, after traversing that freezing darkness, was pain. “Shinigami!”

_Urahara you fucking bastard. You made sure I’d have no choice in this._ She thought as she fell from the Hollow’s mouth, trying not to cry as she felt the bright, living, reiatsu of the person who changed her fate. “It’s no good…offering yourself up. Hollows can never fill that void.” She told him, struggling to rise up.

She couldn’t remember what she’d said before, but she was pretty sure he hadn’t pushed her back down and tried administering first aid. “I can’t fight like this…and help will never arrive in time…” She reluctantly admitted.

The first time, pride had kept her from calling for help. And shame, for what kind of Kuchiki calls for help against a Hollow of this level?

This time, she knew that Aizen would have made sure help couldn’t come in time.

Forcing herself to turn around and look at him (she’d pushed herself through worse, in times hopefully never to repeat), and asked the question that changed everyone’s fate. A question that she knew the answer to already, that anyone who knew him would know the answer to.

“Do you want…to save your family?”

“Of course! Just tell me what to do!” His eyes burned with determination. And that protective streak of his.

She held up Sode no Shirayuki. “You must become a Shinigami.” _I’m sorry, Sode…_

The sense of a shaking head. _I bore this once, I can bear it again._

“How?”

“By channeling my power through my zanpakutou and running it through your heart, I can infuse you with my power, giving you a copy of my powers temporarily and a chance to kill the Hollow.” She explained (again). “There’s no guarantee of success…but your soul is powerful enough to at least try. And we don’t have time to consider the odds.” She added grimly. _I really didn’t want to do this again._

_Even if we didn’t, Aizen would find another way._ Sode no Shirayuki reminded her. _Just remember to freeze Urahara’s privates for everything._

While she had talked to Sode, Yuzu had been sleep-talking (and this would be weird, seeing the child she was instead of the Kido Mistress she had pushed herself into becoming), warning him away. “Gimme your blade, Shinigami.” He decided, moving her blade to point at his chest.

“Kuchiki Rukia. Not Shinigami.” She introduced herself.

“Kurosaki Ichigo. Let’s hope we can meet again.”

_If only you knew…_

Forcing herself to maintain eye contact (she owed him that much, at least), she stabbed him in the heart for the second time, a whirlwind of power surrounding them.

* * *

“Hey.”

She was standing in some kind of sideways city (and of course his Inner World was weird), and there Ichigo stood, as he must have looked after learning the technique that would destroy his soul.

She didn’t stop herself from hugging him. And he hugged her back, holding her to him the way she had he seen him hold his sisters. A hand landed on each of her shoulders, and she raised her head from his chest.

Ichigo’s copy in white was on one side, and a man who looked familiar, and matched what Yoruichi-sama had said about Zangetsu, was on the other. “How…? Your soul—“

“—was shredded, since as a hybrid of Hollow, Quincy, and Shinigami, I literally can not exist powerless, and thus the Final Getsuga Tenshou became my suicide technique? I know.” There was a crooked smile on his face. “It’s not really me; I’m an echo.”

“If we had known just what the true cost of that technique was, we would never had taught him.” Zangetsu rumbled. “Once we realized what was happening, both of us drew the important pieces to us, and leapt to the badge.”

“It was a last ditch effort to protect at least some part of him.” His copy, his Hollow, explained. “I suppose we should have realized Hat’n’Clogs had time travel up his sleeve.”

“How much were you…” She trailed off.

“We’re well aware of what was happening around us, thanks to your habit of keeping the badge on your person, which, by the way, is the only reason we can talk to you now.” Zangetsu told her with a knowing look, making her flush.

“Rukia.” She turned back to him. “Thanks for trying to protect my younger self, but neither Aizen or Yhwach would let me live in peace. The three of us will pass what we know onto him. But please teach him kido.”

“I’ll try.” She promised.

“We’re almost out of time.” The Hollow said. “Be prepared; things will be a touch different. And bug Hat’n’Clogs for an asauchi; we heard all of that.”

“See you on the outside, Kuchiki-fukutaichou.” His echo said with a sly look. “Don’t be afraid of getting close; I’m still me, even if I won’t share the same memories. We’ll make new ones. Just like you will with the others."

* * *

Opening her eyes, Rukia just stared. “Wha—I only meant—“ She stuttered out, more to the benefit of any watchers.

Ichigo had two zanpakutou, which both looked like traditional, sealed, zanpakutou, instead of the singular, large, monstrosity he had gained the first time. Far faster than she remembered him being able to move at this time, he sliced down the middle of the mask, the Hollow’s two pieces falling away to the side. In the house, she felt the fiery reiatsu of his father (and how blind had she been, that first time?) flare to life, and turning her head, she saw him stumble out, clearly looking between her and Ichigo. “…Ichigo?” He called out, concerned.

Ichigo turned to face them, and Rukia only had a brief time to see the older look in his eyes and the weird symbol on his left breast before he passed out, landing on his face.

“Get out here Urahara; I know you’re lurking around.” Rukia said, forcing herself to her feet.

He emerged from the shadows, tense. “I don’t believe we’ve been acquainted…?” He looked her over, trying to judge what kind of threat she was.

“The jewel’s been set, and the enemy released.” She said, repeating what his future self had told her to say to him, to prove she was from the future.

Only he would plan for that.

“Ah, but how do I know for sure?” He challenged, fingering the cane she knew was his zanpakutou.

Isshin had moved to begin healing her, as her temper flared, before she channeled her brother’s frigid anger. “I watched my best friend, my _partner_, literally shred his soul for the chance to merely seal **him**, and it wasn’t enough. I watched the girl who loved, loves, him drive herself to reiryoku exhaustion every day for two months, trying to reject the damage. I watched how his family fell apart, their last united act being to end the suffering of his now soul-less body, since he had been the glue to bind them after the sun vanished. I watched my superiors_ piss_ on his sacrifice by unsealing **him** to fight a new enemy, and it still was not enough.”

The air around them had grown cold enough to reveal their breath. “The next time you dare to accuse me of that, I will freeze your soul. Do you understand me?” She vowed, just barely keeping herself from using names, in case of listeners.

“How about we go inside?” Isshin ‘suggested’, Tessai emerging from the shadow Urahara had been in and picking up Ichigo’s body.


	2. Chapter 2

The Hollow was dead before Ichigo realized he’d swung his sword. One of them. Everything felt and looked weird, like déjà vu, only with things shifted a touch to the left. “…Ichigo?”

Why did his father feel like Rukia? He thought Goat Face got powers back later. _Wait, later?_

He’d scarcely finished his turn, taking in the stunned and concerned faces of Isshin and Rukia when his legs gave out. A moment of pure terror flashed through his soul, since the last time this happened—

The last time—

_What last time?_

With a touch of energy that was both alien and achingly familiar, Ichigo was unconscious before he landed on his face.

* * *

He opened his eyes to a city on its side. He thought he’d seen glimpses of it in his dreams before.

Then he turned around.

Frankly what he saw resembled the Crystals that the heroes always seemed to fail to save in the Final Fantasy games. Only it and its energy were blacker than black, edged in red and blue.

It felt like him.

** _“Hold up a mo’, King.”_ **

Turning, Ichigo saw a copy of him in white, standing with an older man in a ragged black coat. **“Be sure of your choice before you touch that, for there is no going back.”** Ossan said severely.

“How bad is it?” Ichigo asked. “The memories inside?”

He didn’t know for sure that there were memories inside, but having made the statement he felt the truth of it.

**_“…You didn’t see this next New Years’.”_** White-him admitted, shifting and not meeting his eyes. Ichigo had the impression that he was normally angrier. And crazier. Just more, than this shifty, guilty-looking copy of himself.

Looking over to Ossan, he detected the same guilt, despite the face carved in stone. “Whatever happened, it wasn’t your fault.” Ichigo tried to assure them.

**_“Yes it was!”_** White-him shouted. **_“Because you have all the self-preservation of a suicidal lemming, never thinking of—“_**

**“We are meant to protect you, Ichigo.”** Ossan cut off. **“We acquiesced in teaching you something that, to our knowledge, would only have cut off contact with you, leaving you _less_, but still alive. Except it destroyed you. Ourselves, and that crystal are all we could save. We failed you, and the one who had trusted us to protect you.”**

“…” Ichigo looked between the pair of guilty spirits and the crystal. “Well, I can’t change what happened if I don’t know what happened.” He declared. “I can’t promise that I’ll respect how you want to protect me all the time, but just based off what the crystal’s emitting and what I picked up from Rukia—“ He felt her pain and reluctance as she shared her power, the sense of feeling like she was condemning him to death again. “—I think…the best way to protect me…is to help me protect myself and those I care for.”

The guilt eased up a touch, and White-him smirked, something of what might be his default projection coming back. **_“As long as you’re prepared for us to kick your ass when you forget that.”_**

“Even though I need reminding at times, when have you known me to back down?” Ichigo countered, turning back to face the crystal. “Face forward; abandon your fear.” He reminded(?)himself.

“Retreat and you age; hesitate and you die.”

He touched the crystal, and his vision, his being, was filled with flashes of fighting, of moments too important to let slip away, the rare, precious moments of success, and—

* * *

Isshin rubbed his temples. The girls were up in bed, healed and memories altered. As callous as it sounded, he was too concerned for and about Ichigo to raise a fuss at the moment. Ichigo’s soul form was passed out on a clear section of floor, next to his body. No one wanted to dare putting him back in his body until he was awake, and they knew who, what, they were dealing with.

The Shinigami, Kuchiki Rukia (huh, he thought Byakuya would’ve kept her away from Living World missions), rubbed at her chest, after pulling out a clear, hollow ball, with several memory crystals and a combat pass he didn’t recognize. “I don’t care that I practiced that kido until I could do it in my sleep; I hate that feeling.” She muttered to herself. After giving Ichigo her power, her shihakushou had changed to an Academy uniform for some reason.

Touching an invisible seam on the ball, it split open. “Okay, everyone…Urahara…Nii-sama…Inoue…” She listed off names as she reviewed the contents. “…Hirako—“

“You know Shinji?!” Kisuke exclaimed.

Kuchiki gave Kisuke a look that matched Byakuya’s ‘you utter fool’ look. “I came back in time. Considering your solution to awakening Ichigo’s innate Shinigami power was cutting his Chain of Fate, tossing him in a pit, and telling him he had seventy two hours to become a Shinigami or turn into a Hollow, WITH no further instructions…Ichigo, being Ichigo, managed it just in the nick of time, but not soon enough to avoid problems. When it woke up during his fight with Nii-sama, you contacted them and Ichigo went to train with them. And made enough of an impression for them to willingly turn up to fight Aizen with the other captains. Of course I know Hirako; he’d host ‘let’s curse Aizen for being the reason for Ichigo’s destruction’ drinking parties.”

“What?” Isshin said faintly. “Destruction?”

Kuchiki looked at him, and her gaze, while still angry at him, gained sympathy and compassion. “Ichigo learned the Final Getsuga Tenshou—“ Well that proved to him she was from the future. “—so he could get Aizen out for the count long enough for Urahara’s trap to work. I don’t know if he knew about the trap. After…afterwards, his soul form started destabilizing almost immediately, like steam given off a hot cup of tea. Even after he was returned to his body, it continued, at the same rate his power faded. That was when you revealed Masaki-san was a Quincy.” She smirked briefly. “Ishida’s reaction was hilarious, until Yuzu hit you with her ladle. From what Urahara’s instruments determined, his hybrid nature meant that his soul literally can not be powerless; it had to have a certain, minimum, level of power present to keep itself stable. And the level use of the Final Getsuga Tenshou was reducing it to…”

Kuchiki played with the combat pass. “…after two months, all that was left was a trace amount clinging to his body. You and the girls made the decision together, hugging you as you ended it. After that, the three of you never saw each other at the same time again.”

Sniffing a little, she returned to the crystals. “Unohana…Yuzu.”

“Yuzu?” Kisuke questioned, as Isshin was still stuck on ‘never saw each other’.

“Afterwards, Tessai and Hachi trained her in kido. She helped you with the time travel device, and created the kido I used to carry this back with me, since only souls could travel back. She got the idea from how you had hidden your Hogyoku inside of me, as part of your plan to neutralize it.” She glared at Kisuke. “I still need to freeze you balls and dick for that. Since you’re a ‘beg forgiveness’ guy.”

“Okay! So how were the people chosen to donate?” Kisuke changed the subject, flapping his fan. “I can guess why I was chosen…”

“Unohana-taichou’s isn’t her memories, but memories from others about Ichigo’s unique situation. I think you read his medical file then donated the memories relating to it.” Kuchiki explained. “Otherwise…the individual crystals are a mix of ‘who’d be useful’ and ‘who was still alive’. The ‘everyone’ is a general overview of the situation and people’s fate, if one of us knew it.”

“But why send you back? Straws?” Isshin asked.

“Frankly, I’ll be in a very good position to kill Aizen, since I have Bankai AND haven’t seen his release. Nii-sama’s insistence on keeping me unseated for so long meant he didn’t consider me important until after Urahara hid the Hogyoku inside of me. We just need to make it look like I’m losing my powers, negate the prisoner collar, and hide something that looks like it inside of me.”

“…who the hell came up with THAT plan?!” Isshin demanded.

“Mister I’ll send four ignorant teenagers and a cat off to invade Seireitei.” Kuchiki said, jerking her thumb at Urahara.

“I really hope that ‘everyone’ crystal explains things, because every time you open your mouth I get more and more confused.” Isshin prayed.

“Ow.”

“Ichigo!” Isshin and Kuchiki exclaimed, pretty much flashing to his side as he raised up on his elbows.

“I’m punching anyone who calls their pain ‘soul-wrenching’; there’s nothing like it and it’s a great incentive to avoid it in the future.” He declared, sitting up. “I thought I’d be back in my body by now.”

“Well…” Isshin shifted. He couldn’t exactly hide his power, but he also wasn’t prepared to tell his story.

“You were worried because of Zangetsu and getting your power back, right?” Isshin’s head whipped back to Ichigo and he gaped at him.

“What would that have to do with it? It is related to why you have two zanpakutou this time?” Kuchiki demanded.

“Yeah, here’s the fun part. My ‘inner’ Hollow, that I’d supposedly only got after the Shattered Shaft thing? Is my zanpakutou.” Ichigo stated.

“Wait a sec, then who’s the old guy with sunglasses?!” Kuchiki yelled.

“Also my zanpakutou. Except he’s whatever part of my power is Quincy.”

Kuchiki looked pole-axed, and Isshin wasn’t much better. Kisuke, having whipped out a notepad and writing frantically, joined Kuchiki and Isshin in hovering around Ichigo. “So White’s purpose is what I thought it was? Parasiting a Shinigami’s zanpakutou?” He asked with the mad scientist look on his face.

Appropriately enough, Ichigo shivered. “Kinda? From what both Zangetsu figured, White went after Mom because she was spiritually powerful, AND female. It couldn’t have just infected Dad and taken over Engetsu; it would have spent too much energy overcoming the soul resistance to really impact a mature zanpakutou, let alone a captain’s. But by attaching to a new soul in utero—“

“Its soul resistance is an order of magnitude weaker, and essentially ‘blank’ in terms of personality and zanpakutou, so it would take no effort!” Kisuke exclaimed, writing frantically again.

Ichigo shoved his foot in his face. “Back the hell up Hat’n’Clogs; your Kurotsuchi vibe isn’t helping; White Zangetsu’s very pissed at you and Dad.”

“Why them?” Kuchiki asked, having recovered enough to speaking.

“Quincy souls have no resistance to Hollows, so their souls suicide. Hat’n’Clogs tied Dad’s power to Mom’s soul to suppress the Hollow, which is why he’d never been able to see ghosts as far as I’d known previously. Suppression that continued when the Hollow moved to me and became Zangetsu. Apparently, the reishi strings burned, the intensity of which rose the closer Dad was to me physically. Which not only explains some things, but also means that he’s scheduled an ass-kicking for both of you. And no, you don’t get out of it.” Ichigo cut off Isshin’s question.

“Wait, then where’d the other Zangetsu come from? Why does he represent your Quincy power?” The confusion returned to Kuchiki’s face.

“…uh, did you forget the part where all Quincies have a piece of the guy’s soul in them? Which applied even to me? The only reason Ossan came in contact first was because White was suppressed. And even though he is my zanpakutou, he’s also my Hollow as well, and after twenty years suppressed, fifteen of which had him fed with my negative emotions…” Ichigo shrugged. “Can I get back in my body now? I mean, I’ve proved I’m still me.”

Kisuke waved a distracted hand at him, giving permission. “Itching?” Isshin asked sympathetically when Ichigo started scratching after settling into his body. “A shower helps.”

“Are we good to go for now? Cuz Rukia still needs a gigai and you’d better not pull that stunt again.” Ichigo added with a glare.

“But I haven’t done it yet!” Kisuke protested.

“But you’d planned it far enough to only need a Shinigami in distress.” Kuchiki reminded him flatly, as Ichigo picked up the combat pass. “Do you really want that? I mean, Ukitake-taichou—“

“I know. Ukitake-san’s centuries older than me; if he hadn’t wanted me to know, I’m sure he could have phrased it so I wouldn’t be suspicious. But he made sure I’d be able to piece things together and make my choice.” Ichigo stuck it in his pocket, before walking upstairs.

Isshin eyed after Ichigo, deciding that it was too late after a very long evening to approach that thorn bush.

“C’mon you shady shopkeeper; I still need that gigai.” Kuchiki grabbed Kisuke and started hauling him outside.

“Kurosaki-sensei, I’ve set up a shield to replace the broken one. It should hold long enough for me to craft one especially suited for both of you.” Isshin jumped, having honestly forgotten Tessai was even there.

“You sure you weren’t Onmitsukido? You sneak around way too well.” Isshin commented, asking the question that came to mind every time Tessai surprised him.

“A necessary survival strategy when in the middle of an Urahara-Shihoin prank war.” Tessai explained, before he followed the other two.

Kuchiki had remembered to reinsert everything into her soul, so Isshin wasn’t able to snoop. Meaning he was left to dwell on the bombshell among the other bombshells.

What had happened after Ichigo’s soul had…

He didn’t want to contemplate it, but knowing that Ichigo only could have heard of the Final Getsuga Tenshou from him…hell, he was only imagining things; the guilt the future him had felt must have been stifling.

_‘I watched how his family fell apart, their last united act being to end the suffering of his now soul-less body, since he had been the glue to bind them after the sun vanished.’_

Getting changed for bed, Isshin heard Ichigo in the hallway. Sticking his head out, he saw Ichigo paused in front of the girls’ room. “Ichigo?”

His son’s face looked old. “Ask me in a few day, how I’m doing.” Ichigo said, answering the question that had hung in the air. “It hasn’t processed yet; I was only answering everything cuz Zangetsu were prodding the answers up.”

The combat pass was in his hands, and it didn’t seem like he was aware of how he played with it. “This is about the only thing telling me that this isn’t a dream.”

“So what’s up with that, for Ukitake-san to fudge the truth?” Isshin asked, going with the most nagging of his nagging questions.

“Oh the usual, let me leave my body, keep track of and tag a lock on the power of the guy who broke into Seireitei, beat up the Eleventh Division, and fought two captains to save someone he’d only known for two months. Even though it WAS his subordinate said guy did this for.” Ichigo answered ‘casually’.

“…which captains?”

“Kenpachi. And Byakuya.” Ichigo entered his room as Isshin tried wrapping his head around his son fighting either of them after being a Shinigami for a couple months. “…he lets you call him by name.”

“Nope.” Ichigo stuck his head out. “…can we leave out the wake-up surprise attacks for a few days? Until it’s all processed?”

“Yeah.” Isshin agreed as Ichigo shut his bedroom door.

* * *

Hearing both doors close, Yuzu and Karin sat up in bed, staring at each other. “…it worked. And we’re in the same timeline as Rukia.” Yuzu said, a little surprised that it had worked. They HAD left several hours later.

“Remind me again why we’ve agreed to go through puberty again?” Karin asked, trying not to feel around for the zanpakutou that she shouldn’t even know about, let alone have.

“To see Ichi-nii and be able to help him? And maybe give him less to worry about if we can protect ourselves a little?” Karin snorted at Yuzu’s description of ‘a little’. “And make it up to Dad, even if he doesn’t remember it.” Karin tacked on, looking away as she remembered the last time she saw him, him screaming at her to get the hell away because ‘I’ve already killed one child’!

And she had, leaving him alone to immolate himself and the bodies around him, using his Bankai to deprive the crazy bitch of more zombies.

(She had been selfishly glad when she went back and only found ashes and bits unable to burn, like the necklace where he’d worn his wedding ring with Mom’s and her Quincy charm.)

“Should we tell them tomorrow, or wait until the morning?” Yuzu asked as she laid back down.

“See how they are tomorrow and then decide?” Karin suggested.

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...fair warning...I regret nothing...
> 
> Yuzu always seems to be a Quincy, so here she's a Kido Mistress.


	3. Chapter 3

_It was raining._

_Raining outside, raining inside, every part of him straining to commit the feel of this-this monster, to memory because even if he didn’t intend to let it get out alive—_

_Unable to take his eyes off of his father, dressed in a shihakushou with a captain’s haori on one arm (fucking hell?!) and feeling a small, lonely piece inside crying at this…_betrayal,_ because that meant he’d known everything the whole time so why hadn’t he _said_ anything? Why hadn’t he—_

_A hazy memory, since echoes can’t fully form proper memories, listening quietly to that faint connection Outside, hearing Karin leave herself out of the running for one of the crystals. “It’s not like I can help much, and I don’t know anything about the kido. No one needs the memory of—“_

_Panicking as the world blacked out, feeling **him** trying to take over and it was so much easier to think of him, of **it**, as an invader because otherwise he’d have to acknowledge that darkness was him, everything he shoved down deep, because protectors aren’t supposed to be crazy, sadistic_ psychos—

_Eyeing a small figure down below, who had no right to call himself her brother when he put the outrageous rulings of the government over family. Because big brothers protect the little ones born after, and it was a thousand times worse since he’d _chosen_ Rukia to be his sister—_

_A brief, mostly forgotten moment, right after getting his power back and hearing Zangetsu’s name. Focusing on the…hum…of his power inside, that he hadn’t missed until it was gone and how could people _live_ without it—_

* * *

With a groan, Ichigo rolled over and off of the bed. He furrowed his brow, focusing on the last fragment. _How come Byakuya destroying my Hakusui and Saketsu didn’t destroy me?_

_**Ya had Kuchiki-chan’s power in ya; it was on top, and since he didn’t have a reason to assume a mere human boy could have power…** _A shrug. _**He didn’t see a need to go deeper.**_

Ichigo pushed himself up. “Ugh, who invented mornings…?” He complained, checking the clock.

_It’s freakin’ weird to be up this early, Oyaji never attacked me this early, so what…?_

“…Ichi-nii?”

Looking at the door, he saw Yuzu and Karin standing there, looking like they hadn’t slept well, holding onto each other like they had right after Mom died. Meeting their eyes, he realized with a start that they were older.

And were staring at him like they couldn’t believe he was real. “It’s alright. Ichi-nii’s not going anywhere, this time.” He assured them, vowing that on his soul as he opened his arms.

With watery cries, they threw themselves at him, hanging onto him like he would fade away if they let go. He clung back just as hard, Zangetsu agreeing with him when he told himself that this time, he’d make sure the things that had shadowed their eyes never happened. With a start, he realized, “Both of you got so strong…”

Now that his uncontrolled emission of power wasn’t blinding him, he could feel their reiatsu properly, along with Oyaji’s, who was at the door taking in the scene.

Karin realized Isshin was at the door first, and she flung herself fast enough that it was almost like she used shunpo, Isshin hitting the wall in the hallway as he was unprepared for this. “Daddy…”

Isshin jumped, looking at Ichigo with stunned eyes. Karin hadn’t called him that in_ years;_ not since she decided that word was for _babies_ and anyway he’s too much of a Goat-Face. Ichigo looked back, his face saying everything.

Isshin clung to one of his baby girls, the other not wanting to let go of her brother as he shuffled over to his father and other sister. “Daddy’s here, baby. He won’t be stupid like however he was last time—“

“You used your Bankai’s most powerful technique.” Yuzu said quietly, voice muffled in Ichigo’s chest.

“A crazy bitch was makin’ zombies out of Shinigami, and you didn’t want…you told me to run and I did because you said you couldn’t kill another one of your children and there was nothing left except the wedding rings and Mom’s charm.” Ichigo and Yuzu reached them, and it had been years since they’d had a Kurosaki Family Cuddle. The first anniversary of Masaki’s death, to be exact.

“…why come back? Rukia would have said something if you’d come back together, right?” Ichigo asked gently.

“Can we tell you later, when Rukia tells everything later today?” Yuzu requested. “It won’t make sense otherwise.”

Karin pushed off of Isshin, wiping her eyes. “Why are all of us up this early anyway?” She asked. “Yuzu and I got used to waking up this early.”

Isshin shrugged. “I felt all three of you together.” He had been too distracted marveling in feeling reiatsu again for him to notice just much the twins’ power had increased.

“I think I woke up cuz I felt the two of you watching. My head’s trying to sort it all out.” Ichigo shrugged.

“But how do you remember? We eavesdropped last night, but you didn’t say anything about how you remember anything, and neither did Rukia.” Yuzu asked, not inclined to move from the pile, even though it meant staying on the hard floor.

“Zangetsu, both of them, when they realized what was happened, they grabbed the important bits and latched onto the combat pass. I don’t think they were thinking, beyond trying to preserve and protect some part of me. Since Rukia carried it back in her soul, they kinda…woke up?responded? when they felt me, the me in this time, and used the moment of the power transfer to tell her. So it’s more like I’m watching a family movie of something I know happened, but don’t remember. I’m still sorting it out.” Ichigo ruffled his hair. “There wasn’t enough of ‘me’ to have made returning to my body an option. What the badge preserved was an ‘echo’, a snapshot of who I was that the moment. I think they were only able to do what they did because of the badge being near, and since both of them were originally something or someone else. Jumping like that wasn’t foreign to them.”

“So Ichigo kind of got an infusion of pieces of his future self, but what about the two of you?” Isshin asked the twins. “I figure Kuchiki-san merged with her past self…”

“It’ll make more sense once you hear everything else.” Karin promised.

* * *

Ryuuken frowned as he answered the phone. “Please don’t tell me you’re swamped at this hour of the day.” He said instead of a greeting. No earthquakes, major traffic accidents don’t usually happen at this hour, and the sun was shining—

“Actually…I need a favor. Can you send someone to look after the clinic today?” Shiba’s voice sounded tired. “I’m not sure you’d believe if I told you what happened last night and this morning.”

Ryuuken narrowed his eyes. He was in tune enough with the general aura of Karakura, so he hadn’t missed the changes. Shiba’s fiery presence was back; there was a diminished presence of an unfamiliar Shinigami (likely the current patroller), Ichigo’s presence had shot up and had the Shinigami’s power boosting it, there were two, new-ish, presences, paired together, and… “I have the feeling it may relate to the drunken, half-coherent voicemail Urahara left on my phone at an hour when even the hard core drinkers have passed out?”

“It does, if it included ‘time travel’.”

“…only your family. Do I get any hints to the future?” Ryuuken asked, making an effort to keep the sarcasm down because if anyone figured out time travel, it’d be Urahara, and it would involve the Kurosaki/Shiba family SOME how.

There were young, female voices in the background (making Ryuuken raise an eyebrow, since classes had started for the day), and Shiba came back on the line. “We’re supposed to get the details this evening.”

“I’ll cover the clinic today; I’ll be there soon.” Ryuuken decided.

“Don’t be surprised by the hole. There was a Hollow attack last night; Tessai’s shields couldn’t handle Ichigo’s latest increase.”

The call over, Ryuuken tightened his grip on the phone. Time travel. Doing his best to ignore the weight in his stomach as he went to inform his secretary and second in command of his plans, he prayed that the event that triggered the time travel(lers)’s journey wasn’t for the reason he thought it was.

* * *

Ichigo yawned as he entered the school grounds. Yuzu and Karin turned out to be somewhat uncoordinated, having grown a few inches between now and whenever they left, so his dad kept them home today and called for a favor from the hospital director. He had extended the offer to Ichigo as well, but Ichigo felt like he needed to go to school today.

At least the ‘truck crash’ gave him a lovely excuse to go back to bed and go in late. “Dude! What happened?!” Keigo asked as he sat down, still working on the donut he’d gotten on the way to school (chocolate icing plus sprinkles).

“Truck ran into the house last night. Drove off before we got a plate number and without leaving a note.” Ichigo answered, digging out his schedule and school books, shoving the last third of the donut in his mouth all at once.

Looking to his right, he blinked. “Uhh…”

Rukia was sitting in the empty desk next to him. “I’m sorry, but…have you always sat there?” He asked, frankly feeling too tired and off-kilter to throw a fit like he would have normally (had done last time?).

“Kuchiki-san transferred in today.” Tatsuki ‘explained’, turning to Rukia. “Don’t mind him; he’s horrible with names and faces. I can point out a few people in class that we’ve gone to school with for years that he couldn’t name or recognize.”

“I remember the important people.” Ichigo protested, heart not in it.

Feeling Chad’s silent question, he said, “The weird dreams I had after going back to bed after the truck crash left me feeling like I didn’t sleep.” Something played on the edge of his mind; something involving Chad and power and fists, but the classroom wasn’t the place to bring it up.

Inoue was telling Tatsuki what she brought for lunch, turning to ask, “Would you like to try some, Kuchiki-san?”

“Eh, Orihime, not everyone—“

“You know, I think I will.” Everyone in hearing distance turned to stare at Rukia, making the rest of the room follow, the short amount of time since the school year started being more than enough to acquaint them to Inoue’s…unique…taste buds. “What?!” She exclaimed, trying not to be too offended.

“…should I warn the nurse?” Mizuiro quietly asked, pulling out his cell phone as Rukia took a bite of Inoue’s…something.

(Ichigo [would tune] tuned out Inoue when she started on food.)

“…it’s actually pretty good.” Rukia declared, to general amazement and disbelief.

“She can’t be human.” Tatsuki whispered to Ichigo as Inoue, extremely perky, started discussing the reasons behind her latest creation, Rukia (actually being) an active participant to the discussion.

Somehow, Ichigo kept a straight face at that remark. A sense of watching had him flicking his eyes to the front, where a boy with glasses turned around as his gaze landed on him.

With absolute certainty, Ichigo knew the boy knew Rukia wasn’t human. Zangetsu were quiet in his head, having made a mention of trying to sort things out in a more logical fashion, now that there was no longer the danger of losing anything.

_Maybe I can keep him from starting trouble this time…_

* * *

Rukia waited at the gate for Ichigo, having already ‘conned’ him into ‘showing’ her around town. The Hollow that had attacked last time hadn’t appeared, leaving her faintly concerned, combined with how Ichigo was actually tired this morning.

Now that she knew who to watch for, she could feel Ishida’s eyes on her as he departed, limiting himself to mild distaste, for now. She also watched Ori-Inoue-san leave with Arisawa.

Arisawa had never forgiven her for dragging Ichigo into Soul Society’s problems. Even though she hadn’t intended to, or that if anything, he dragged _her_ along with him.

_‘Don’t be afraid of getting close.’_

Before she came back, she’d promised Orihime-chan that she’d actually try her food this time. To her shock, it actually tasted good. Properly good, not in an ‘eh-not-the-best-but-I’ve-had-far-worse’ way.

“We’ll start with the main shopping plaza.” Ichigo said without preamble once he was close enough.

They hadn’t gone far before Ichigo pulled her into an alley. “Yuzu and Karin came back too.” He revealed.

She froze. “What?” She questioned. “Did they say why?”

“They’ve pleaded off on explanations until this evening, but, just going on the way both of them were looking at me, and how Karin called Oyaji ‘Daddy’ for the first time in years…” Ichigo shrugged. “Hat’n’Clogs called Dad this morning before I left and said he’d be over this evening with Tessai and…Shinji? He seemed to think you’d be there to answer questions, plus Tessai has to put up a new barrier.”

“Lack of information sharing hurt us, last time. How much smoother things would have gone, and…” Rukia looked down, at the combat pass Ichigo had hooked to his belt.

“How are you doing?” Her head whipped up, and she gaped at him. “I could feel it, when you gave me your power, that you felt like you were condemning me to death again.” He explained. “Look, even if it hadn’t been you, I’m sure Aizen would have done something to trigger my powers. I don’t remember why—Zangetsu are sorting through what they grabbed—but I think there was something about knowing about me since I was born?” He ruffled her hair, leaving his hand there. “I thought part of the point of this was so we could actually win this time? Without losing TO win? So all the bad times don’t repeat. You, we, can’t do that if you stay hung up on the past future.”

He stepped out of the alley. “C’mon midget. I think we’re gonna need a lot of ice cream tonight.”

“I’m not a midget; you’re just too tall-!” Rukia kicked his shins.

“OW! That’s how you treat someone who’s buying you ice cream?!”

“I didn’t ask you to!”

_‘Is that how you treat someone who’s saving you?’_

_‘I didn’t ask you to.’_

* * *

Isshin hung up the phone, having called the contractor to fix the wall and window. Somehow Ryuuken was holding his curiosity back for later, and hadn’t entered the main house.

Going back upstairs, he went back to the master bedroom, where Yuzu and Karin had curled up on what had been Masaki’s side, watching Disney movies. He had brought paperwork up to work on, but his attention was only half on it.

The other half (part of which was just enjoying being close to his kids) was waiting for one of them to say something. One of the few parenting things he thought he was doing right was not pushing for discussion of what bothered them.

Even if he really, really wanted to know more about the future they’d left, in a morbidly curious sense. He doubted his previous future self would have taken things well at all.

“…it wasn’t a bad future, per se.” Yuzu finally said, Simba trying to pounce Zazu on the TV screen. “I mean, we probably would have handled the guilt and grief, and managed for all three of us to be together in the same room at the same time, at some point. Were it not for what caused us to go back. But…”

“Yuzu was the only one to stay in the World of the Living. You and I went to Soul Society, but separately. Rukia and Byakuya sponsored me to enter the Academy, even though it was mid-term. There was much glaring and Kuchiki name dropping. You turned up later, teaching. But you were using ‘Shiba’.” Karin picked up. “I think it was a kido class; I just walked out when I heard you introduced as ‘Shiba Isshin’.”

“Since it was like I was denying Ichigo?” Isshin asked.

“A little? I knew twenty years wasn’t a huge deal for Shinigami, but…I just knew I was really, really pissed at you, and I just had to walk out. Never went back to that class, and I guess word got around to the teachers not to have you proctor any of my exams. I got through in a year and a half.” Karin revealed.

“Because you weren’t sleeping or eating well.” Yuzu complained with a frown.

“You were doing the same thing, just on only kido.” Karin countered. “When I’d overwork myself and ended up in the infirmary, you’d never be there while I was awake, but I knew you’d been there. Rukia made sure I got into the Thirteenth; I think she had to fight Byakuya for that to happen though. It was just after that, when I had to get Rukia from one of the Cheshire Cat’s drink-and-mope sessions that I overheard you telling him why you weren’t using ‘Kurosaki’…you said you didn’t deserve to share their name.”

“…I can see the thought process there.” Isshin admitted.

“I haven’t, hadn’t, been in the Thirteenth very long. Only a few months.” Flicking her hand, her zanpakutou appeared. “I have Shikai, but I haven’t really had time to try it out.”

“Urahara-san and Tessai-san let me live with them.” Yuzu said. “I think it was guilt, partly, for Urahara-san. Every free moment I had, I was doing something related to kido. When Ichi-nii was…it was suggested to use a kido barrier to keep his soul together until Urahara-san found a way to restore his power, but such a thing didn’t exist, and there wasn’t enough _time_.” There was almost a desperate edge to the last word.

“She can perform the low eighties chantless.” Karin informed him.

“Not that well; they’re only at about a fourth of the power.” Yuzu protested.

Ichigo and Rukia’s reiatsu was drawing closer. “I think your brother and Kuchiki-san are almost here.” Isshin noted. “I need to call Kisuke and ask when he was planning on coming with Tessai-san and Shinji-san.”

Yuzu and Karin were tripping over themselves and each other as they darted out of the master bedroom and downstairs, much as they had when they were small and hadn’t started school yet.

Shutting off Lion King, Isshin followed, planning on giving Ryuuken a head’s up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that, being Japan, the twins would more likely be watching Miyazaki movies, but I like Disney and have seen far more of it than I have Miyazaki. 
> 
> Yes, Isshin knows he should rightly be scolding Karin for language. But in the scheme of things, a few curse words isn't a big deal.


	4. Chapter 4

“Why are you so tired? I don’t ever remember seeing you this tired at this time of day.” Rukia asked, after they had stocked up on ice cream, mostly in various forms of chocolate, such as Belgian Chocolate, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and Rocky Road. Along with whipped cream and ‘ice cream bars’, which were apparently vanilla ice cream encased in a hard chocolate shell.

Rukia had to keep reminding herself to at least wait until they were back at the clinic before trying an ice cream bar.

Ichigo closed his eyes, checking with his zanpakutou. “…since they’ve been organizing the pieces they had grabbed, that’s made it easier for my soul to start integrating those pieces. Apparently, the strain is making me tired; it should speed up while I’m asleep, since it’s easier on the mind too.” He repeated. “I’ll just be glad when it’s done, so I stop getting reminded of things that happened before. And the weird feelings.”

“Weird how?”

“I know Chad can’t see ghosts, but I feel like he gets some kind of power involving his fists. And that one guy with glasses, near the front; I’m sure he knows what you are, and that he caused some kind of trouble.” He said. “Like déjà vu, but not? Or like reading a book and then watching a movie based on the book.”

“Can’t say I understand the last comparison.” She admitted as they reached the clinic, juggling bags for the door knob.

“Ichi-nii!” Yuzu and Karin collided with Ichigo just inside the door, the siblings somehow not tumbling to the ground.

Based on how they felt, Rukia knew they had come back in time, just like Ichigo had said, since that was the only way to explain this sudden change. “Ichi-nii you can’t make the decision to have ice cream for dinner.” Yuzu complained, observing the contents of the bags. “We should at least pretend and have something with it.”

“Rukia!” Karin exclaimed, moving to hug her, only a hint of clumsiness to her movements as Isshin appeared downstairs.

“Sh-Kurosaki, where did you learn your filing system? It makes no sense!” Ishida-sensei complained, sticking his head through the door from the clinic.

“I know you hate poetry, but step back and look.” Isshin replied, taking the ice cream and taking it to the kitchen, watched by an eagle-eyed Yuzu.

There was a moment of quiet. “…Iroha. You’re using Iroha!? Do you realize how outdated that is?” He complained.

“It’s perfectly valid!” Isshin protested. “If you want outdated I can go back to using kanji for the numbers.”

Ichigo frowned at Ishida-sensei. “…weren’t you at Mom’s…?” He asked.

Ishida-sensei sighed. “I was. Ishida Ryuuken. Masaki was my cousin.” He introduced himself to Ichigo.

“Hi Ryuuken-ji-san.” “Hello Ishida-sensei.” Yuzu, Karin, and Rukia chorused.

Ryuuken looked at the girls like they might explode. “…time travel?”

“You were still alive when we left. We think.” Karin amended.

“If it wasn’t for the fact Masaki was just as crazy, I’d place all the blame on your bloodline Shiba.” Ryuuken declared, figuring there wasn’t much point in trying to not use Isshin’s original name.

* * *

“Ya sure ya not pullin’ my leg, Kisuke?” Shinji asked for the infinite time as he walked with Kisuke and Tessai to…somewhere. Kisuke hadn’t actually said. “I mean, time travel?”

Kisuke, who had his hat shoved extra low on his head and carried an umbrella for extra protection from the evil sun, glared at him. “She gave the right phrase and she certainly displayed realistic anger when I questioned her. Plus she knew about a plan to hopefully neutralize a certain crystal, which I hadn’t even voiced or written down anywhere.”

“I’ll believe it when I see or hear somethin’ solid.” _Even if I’m halfway there just based on your drunk talk this morning._ Kisuke had turned up ungodly early, very drunk and rambling about time travel and shredded souls and guilt.

At minimum, this ‘time traveler’ produced something that played on Kisuke’s guilt.

Finally they turned onto a street with an emergency clinic. _‘Kurosaki’…don’t know any Shinigami with that name, let alone one that’d been exiled._ Shinji let out a low whistle when he felt the reiatsu inside. _Four Shinigami…think that’s Quincy…and a weirdo…_

And what a weirdo it was. _Shinigami AND Hollow AND Quincy? How the hell did THAT happen? Did Aizen—_

“You’re late.” The supposedly time traveling Shinigami informed Urahara. She was nearly as short as Hiyori, in a gigai, and looked like a Kuchiki or some other noble.  
She was also pretty low on the power scale.

“We had to sober him up first.” Shinji explained, as Tessai moved to do…something.

“Hirako-taichou.” The maybe Kuchiki greeted with a nod. “Kuchiki Rukia.” She introduced herself.

“Don’t recall a Kuchiki by that name.” Shinji admitted, the Quincy and one of the Shinigami (with a very fiery feel) entering the house from the clinic. “—is so wrong with the modern system?” The Quincy was saying.

“Hi Shinji-san.” A pair of younger school girls (both feeling Shinigami, one with a kido angle like Hachi) chorused, one with light hair, one with black hair. “I think it’s easier to get pizza, with this many people. And I honestly don’t feel like cooking tonight.” The light haired one said.

“Wait, how do they know him?” Urahara questioned, the adult Shinigami passing him coffee.

“Time travel. They left after me.” Kuchiki answered.

“Kisuke doesn’t even get to try out his own invention?” Shinji asked, amused.

“Urahara-san and I were the only ones who know how it works, and Karin wasn’t going without me. And he felt he might have too much justifiable vengeance to enact.” The girl explained. “I’m Yuzu. Kurosaki Yuzu.”

The adult (male) Shinigami waved. “I don’t think you’d remember me, but I went by Shiba in Seireitei.” He explained. “It’s Kurosaki Isshin now.”

“Somehow, just hearing a Shiba’s involved makes this like, three times more believable.” Shinji declared, the weirdo reiatsu entering the room, attached to a teen (?) with bright orange hair yawning.

Weirdo teen eyed Shinji. “Anything?” Kuchiki asked.

“…something about record and ‘I beat Hiyori’. No context.” He replied. “Kurosaki Ichigo.” He casually introduced himself as he slumped in a kitchen chair.

_What. Another Visored?_

“Long story short, my soul’s weird.” Ichigo said, making Shinji jump, not thinking he had said anything out loud. “Look if we’re getting pizza for this go light on the sauce and no weird toppings.”

“Dad?” Yuzu looked at Isshin.

“Back in a bit.” Isshin said, departing the house for the pizza.

“Huh, he didn’t make me go get it. I need to buy the ice cream more often.” Ichigo said in disbelief.

“So what’s the long story?” Shinji asked as he picked a seat.

“…my soul’s REALLY weird?” Ichigo leaned his head on his crossed arms.

“No shit; can tell that by the reiatsu.” Shinji pointed out.

The Quincy also sat down, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Under Yuzu’s disapproving look, he reluctantly put them away. “Thank you!” She chirped, and for some reason Shinji felt very nervous.

Then he jumped as the Kuchiki girl did some kido he wasn’t familiar with, ending with her holding a clear ball with several crystals in it. “Present from the future.” Kuchiki handed him a crystal labelled ‘Hirako’, passing Yuzu the one with her name on it.

“Dare I ask what generated a situation so bad as to resort to time travel?” The Quincy asked, sounding like he’d rather not know the answer.

The time travelling girls exchanged looks. “He invaded. With a whole army with crazy powers. Including a bitch who could make zombies. They were tossing captains around like they were Academy students.” The black haired girl, Karin finally said. “He went after the Reiou.”

The man seemed to instantly age ten years. “…Uryuu?” He asked.

“We haven’t really seen him since…but as far as we know he was still alive.” Yuzu admitted.

The Quincy slowly nodded. “As harsh as this is, he’s not who I’m worried about the most.” Kuchiki said bluntly, though not unkindly.

“Kisuke said this involved Aizen?” Shinji questioned as Yuzu passed out drinks.

“In the future we’re aiming to change, he got his hands on Urahara’s Hogyoku, fused it with his, and fused the complete thing to himself. Even just weakening him enough to be sealed…” Kuchiki played with her glass. “So when it was announced that they were undoing some of the seals so he could fight the new enemy…I couldn’t stay loyal to an organization just…ignoring the sacrifice it took to seal him to start with. And frankly, I don’t trust him enough to assume he’d willingly let himself be sealed again. Or that he won’t find a way to circumvent the other seals and use this opportunity to take out the competition and achieve his own goal.” She admitted.

“So who…” Shinji trailed off. “Kisuke’s drunk talk said something about shredded souls?”

“My old future self.” Ichigo said. “My zanpakutou spirits grabbed the important bits they could and latched onto the combat pass Ukitake-san had given me, since it was saturated with my reiatsu. The technique was just meant to use all my power, but as a hybrid, my soul can’t survive without a minimum level of power. Needless to say, I will not be doing that again.”

“You better not.” Kuchiki glowered, his sisters nodding in agreement.

“Considering they grabbed the memory of the pain, I’m not that masochistic.” Ichigo assured them as Isshin returned with the pizza.

* * *

“So how does this thing work?” Ichigo asked, poking at the ‘everyone’ crystal once those assembled had finished fighting over the pizza.

“There’s two options.” Karin started. “The first is to just project the memories, which can be done an infinite number of times, and the second is to actually ‘absorb’ the memories, which is a one-time option.” Looking at Kisuke, who was slowly nibbling on his lone slice, she added, “I think we can tell which one Urahara did.”

He would have glared, but the effort of doing so was too much.

“As for watching, you just need to spark it with reiryoku.” Kuchiki poked the crystal, making a bunch of holographic ‘photos’ float up. “Where to start…”

“Didn’t he monologue at least once?” Ichigo asked, taking a margin of pity on Kisuke and handing him crackers, taking his hardly touched slice and ripping off the little part he ate on.

“Twice.” Flicking through them, Kuchiki poked one that was marked ‘Kotetsu Isane’.

The ‘photos’ disappeared, replaced by a confrontation between Unohana and Aizen.

Shinji’s eyes went wide as memory!Aizen revealed the true power of his zanpakutou. “That little rat bastard…” He hissed. “I’m scared to even think about what kind of Bankai he has with that kind of sword.”

“Nii-sama’s request of Ukitake-taichou to keep me unseated works in my favor, here. I’m reasonably sure I never saw his release, as I wouldn’t have been important enough to draw his attention by myself. His interest only started after Urahara hid his Hogyoku inside me.” Kuchiki explained. “Since there is a chance for me to kill him.”

That memory over, she poked one marked ‘Kuchiki Rukia’. Quietly, they watched the confrontation between Aizen and ‘Renji’ (latest Sixth Division lieutenant), all the way up to the point where Aizen ordered Ichimaru Gin (who’d grown up into a creepy adult) to kill her. “I’m aiming to strike in that window after he removes the Hogyoku. Well, it’s fake counterpart; my gigai is just making it look like I’m losing power, centered on the decoy so it continues after I return to Seireitei.”

“But how?” Isshin asked.

“I have Bankai. I can practice in Urahara’s training ground since it’s shielded, but in Bankai, I can freeze anything down to absolute zero. I’m pretty sure even he can’t survive that.” Kuchiki revealed.

“It might be worth looking up the science behind how freezing things works. I know everything’s made up of reishi in Soul Society, but matter or reishi, the human body is two thirds water, right?” Ichigo suggested, on his fourth slice.

“I would suggest stopping by the hospital to look at frostbite and hypothermia cases, but it’s the wrong time of year to have many.” The Quincy (named Ishida Ryuuken) added.

“Kurosaki-kun’s right; even in Soul Society, the human body is two thirds water. But everything freezes at absolute zero.” Kisuke spoke up.

“Either way, knowing how the human body freezes should help make sure he dies. Is your control good enough to pick what freezes first?” Ichigo asked.

“That can be part of my practice.” Kuchiki agreed.

“…Can you pull up the memory of the invasion?” Ishida asked, accepting the sake Isshin handed him.

Yuzu started serving ice cream as Kuchiki flicked through the ‘photos’. “I don’t think anyone who was close enough to see him survived. Or stuck around; Yamamoto used his Bankai, from what I felt and heard later.”

Shinji and Isshin choked on their sake. “What?! Who is this guy?!” Shinji demanded.

“The Quincy King. Yhwach.” Ishida said simply. “From the stories Father told…he’s due to return in two or three years.”

“That fits; we left two years from next month.” Karin said. “And a lot of his ‘friends’.” Her mouth twisted down.

“Since we have some time to prepare for him, more than we do for Aizen, what do you have from that ‘final battle’? In the replica Karakura?” Kisuke asked.

“I think we managed get nearly all of it, plus the Espada—powerful Arrancars—in Hueco Mundo.” Kuchiki flicked through ‘photos’. “You’d been collecting memories almost since the ashes were cool.”

Ichigo grimaced. Shinji thought there might be chocolate ice cream underneath all the whipped cream.

Finally stopping at one marked with several names (Hitsugaya Toshirou, Sui Feng, Hisagi Shuuhei, Kyoraku Shunsui…), Kuchiki smirked, tapping it.

“What.” Shinji said flatly, watching himself and all the other Visored turn up, kill a bunch of Gillians pouring out of some weird worm monster, and insert themselves into the battles of the Shinigami present. “I mean, we hate Aizen, but why…”

Then he watched a piece from what could only be his point of view, saying, “We’re allies of Kurosaki Ichigo.”

“It’s the Kurosaki Effect.” Kuchiki assured him. “Don’t worry; even Nii-sama fell under its force.”

“You’re talking Byakuya, right? That firebrand’d either love or hate Ichigo.” Shinji asked, since there wasn’t any other Kuchiki he could think of that would be her ‘Nii-sama.’

“Except he got a handle on his temper after you left. And after his wife died, he has all the emotional warmth of a bucket of ice.” Isshin explained bluntly, with an apologetic look to Rukia.

“His wife was my older sister. When we died, we ended up in Inuzuri. She couldn’t even really care for herself, let alone a baby. So…she left me behind. From what he told me, she regretted it the rest of her life, and tried to find me. They were only married five years when she died from some illness she had picked up in Rukongai. She asked him to find me, and to let me call him ‘brother’, not revealing that she was my sister. He promised her that her would protect me, but he had also vowed on his parents’ grave to always uphold the law after breaking it by marrying my sister and then by adopting me. Promises and vows that came into conflict when I was sentenced to be executed.” Kuchiki explained. “Fighting Ichigo and Renji helped shake his world, but…” She returned to the second Aizen monologue, where he ordered Ichimaru to kill her.

And Byakuya turned up to take the blow instead, pretty much surprising everyone present in the memory. “It was when he was recovering from that and his fight with Ichigo that he told me about my sister. And when we started to really bond as siblings.” Kuchiki added with a fond smile. “I’m thinking it might be worth trying to pass him his crystal with a note when I’m taken back to Soul Society.”

Ichigo made a face. “I don’t wanna get stabbed again…you have that memory?”

Nodding, Kuchiki flicked back. “…I could maybe plant it when he goes in to…” He gestured as in the memory, Byakuya stabbed Ichigo’s Saketsu and Hakusui.

“How come that didn’t, y’know…” Karin asked.

“Rukia’s power was on ‘top’, and it wasn’t like he had any reason to think I had power on my own. Plus…” He closed his eyes, evidently consulting his zanpakutou spirit. “…these were like needle jabs. The Final Getsuga Tenshou was like a shotgun point blank. Urahara-san’s ‘training’ just sped up my power’s recovery.”

Ichigo stood up, and Shinji was shocked to see his large bowl of chocolate ice cream with whipped cream (or whipped cream with chocolate ice cream) was already empty. “I’m calling it an early night. Zangetsu spent the day organizing what they had grabbed, so my soul can adapt them in easier. They hadn’t wanted to chance losing anything, so that’s why they hadn’t organized it before.” He explained, setting his bowl in the sink and going upstairs. “Good night.”

Shinji didn’t hear the answering good nights, being stuck on what Ichigo had said. “…did he just imply he has more than one zanpakutou spirit?” He questioned.

“Technically, one is his Inner Hollow.” Kisuke clarified. “His mother was a Quincy, and when the arrancar White infected her, I bound Isshin’s power to her soul to suppress it. It latched onto Kurosaki-kun’s soul in utero, becoming both his zanpakutou and hollow. The other is the embodiment of his Quincy heritage.”

“Does this kid do anything normally?!” Shinji demanded.

“No.” Everyone else answered. “Not only is he a Shiba, he’s a Kurosaki, so he got a double dose of disregard for normalcy.” Ishida justified. “If any of what I’ve learned about the Shiba over the years is true.”

“Believe me; if anything, what I’ve told you is the tip of the iceberg.” Isshin assured him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iroha (いろは): a poem that uses each syllable of Japanese (minus -n/ん) only once, and is analogous to the ABC song in English. Until the Meiji era (Rurouni Kenshin time frame), it was used for the ordering of the kana, instead of the charts like you see today. In short, Isshin's old school, since in the present day only places and things with long traditions use Iroha to show the order.


	5. Chapter 5

Isshin observed Ryuuken, Kisuke, Shinji, and Tessai as they sat at his kitchen table, just taking in what they’d seen.

And what they were planning to look at, now that Yuzu, Karin, and Rukia had gone to bed. “So…we gonna do this?” Isshin asked. “I know Aizen’s the current threat, but…”

“How bad was it, that they decided undoing even some of the seals was their only choice?” Ryuuken picked up, his mouth playing with the stick of the ice cream bar he’d eaten, since he couldn’t smoke at present.

“Bad.” Kisuke looked less hungover. “Without tossing in my future self’s feelings regarding everything.”

“But somehow, I don’t think the images themselves made ya try to give yourself alcohol poisoning.” Shinji pointed out.

Kisuke was quiet. Finally, he said, “As much as he felt guilty about drawing in the son of his friends into a conflict centuries old…he felt even guiltier about not giving his hybrid nature the weight he should have in the planning, and how it was all for nothing. Add in the anger, and he legitimately felt that he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from going on a well-justified slaughter.”

Only Tessai and Shinji knew the efforts he went to, to keep his anger under wraps, because as potentially self-destructive his guilt was, his anger was decidedly self-destructive. Add in how he was effectively left alone since as a former Onmitsukido member, the only one who could even touch him had come with him…

The body toll always goes up if you don’t factor in the survival of the attacker as necessary.

“Perhaps it is better to wait, until Aizen is dealt with, to look at the invasion and subsequent events.” Tessai counseled.

“There’s still my crystal ta look at.” Shinji reminded them, finally setting it down on the table, since he’d been fiddling with it for a few hours now. "Kuchiki did say a lot of mine related to Ichigo's hollow."

Ryuuken made a face. True, he hadn’t seen much of the fight with the weird Hollow, but since all indications were that Ichigo’s inner hollow/zanpakutou spirit was that weird Hollow…”Somehow, I doubt it was very happy when it was unsealed after twenty years.”

“Ichigo’s already indicated that it, he, has an ass-kicking scheduled for both of us.” Isshin informed him.

“Well, we’ll never actually look at this damn thing unless we bite the bullet.” Shinji poked the crystal hard, making the ‘photos’ of the memories inside pop up.

There were several marked with other names, mostly ‘Urahara Kisuke’ and ‘Shihoin Yoruichi’. Poking the very first one, both in the sequence and marked with Urahara’s name, they were treated to the restoration of Ichigo’s power following Rukia’s departure and Byakuya’s removal of them. “I still feel obligated to beat you up for that.” Isshin remarked, watching as Kisuke did as Rukia said, and basically tossed him in a hole without further instruction.

“Like you haven’t noticed the boy works on instinct.” Kisuke snarked, sober enough to do so. “Given the limited amount of time…”

The next one was brief, showing a convalescing Ichigo telling Yoruichi about how the mask she had found over his near fatal wound from Kenpachi couldn’t be the one that had appeared over his wound from Renji, since it was tossed in the sewers. “It’s not like just getting rid of the thing ends the problem…” Shinji grumbled, wishing it could only be so simple.

The one after, surprisingly, was marked ‘Kuchiki Byakuya’. This fight was on the ‘everyone’ crystal, but Kisuke had pointed out a suspicious ‘cut’. Suspicious to him, since the memories he’d absorbed from his future self had included editing the memories. “That must be when I got my powers back originally.” Isshin remarked, watching soberly.

“How come he doesn’t seem to know that he’s Zangetsu?” Ryuuken asked, making the notes everyone else was too distracted to make.

“It’s not like he’d tell an outsider before his own wielder.” Kisuke pointed out. “Plus, we don’t know what the seal did beyond suppressing the Hollow; if he’d just been unsealed, he might not have even realized it yet.”

“He said the reishi strings ‘burned’, which got worse the closer I was physically to Ichigo.” Isshin reminded him.

Next was Shinji’s first contribution. “The only way that’d have been worse is if you’d hung a sign on your neck saying ‘I am a pedophile’.” Isshin said to Shinji frankly, as nothing of his invitation to Ichigo actually sounded normal and not sketchy. “But I wonder what the unfamiliar reiatsu they sensed was?”

Isshin had trouble watching the assorted Visored fight a slowing Hollowifying Ichigo, as he fought his Inner Hollow/zanpakutou spirit for control. He was no stranger to brutal fights with Hollows, and emergency medicine had offered up plenty of gruesome sights, but…

…watching his son turn into a Hollow reminded him of every nightmare he had after Kisuke had brought up the possibility of the Hollow in Masaki having moved to Ichigo. Going through the day like normal, only to turn around and see that his son wasn’t his son anymore…he always had to check Ichigo in the mornings after, and that nightmare had been frequent enough that checking Ichigo had become part of his morning routine.

He only started with wake up and blitz attacks after Masaki died, both since she would not have tolerated him training Ichigo like that, and because as the sole adult of the house, he wanted to make damn sure the Hollow would have reason to come after him first.

Not his more powerful, yet more vulnerable daughters.

To his shame, Ichigo was so much of a momma’s boy because of those nightmares. Even when he snuggled and played with and bathed baby Ichigo, part of him couldn’t help being on edge. The feeling was enough to put Ichigo off of interacting with his father with any sort of enthusiasm.

“Well I’m sure all of us have things to do in the morning.” Ryuuken declared. “I know I have plenty to catch up on at the hospital, so it’s time to stop cluttering Shiba’s house.”

Tessai, needing no further hints, ushered Kisuke and Shinji out of the house. Isshin flashed a brief, tired smile at Ryuuken as he cleared the last few glasses and cups from the table. “Have you seen Uryuu lately?” He asked, placing the glasses in the sink.

“I caught a glimpse at the high school opening ceremony. I believe he’s in the same class as Ichigo.” Ryuuken replied, glaring at the ‘everyone’ crystal. “Damn him.”

Isshin knew who he meant, as it was the same person he cursed, after cursing himself. “How long do you think before Uryuu confronts Ichigo?” He asked. “Definitely by the end of the semester.”

“Check with Kuchiki and let me know if he caused trouble. Maybe I can make it harder for him.” Ryuuken demanded as he departed. _I already know one thing I need to get rid of…_

Watching the assorted memories, he couldn’t avoid noticing how, in some, Uryuu had the Sanrei glove on, while in others, it was nowhere in sight. Given the chronological nature of the memories’ ordering, he guessed what his impulsive son had done.

* * *

** _“Just crawl in bed with ‘im, Kuchiki-chan.”_ **

Rukia jumped, only just missing hitting her head on the shelf above her, as Ichigo’s Hollow/Zanpakutou materialized. “That shouldn’t be possible.” She said, just staring at a being who was a lot less bloodthirsty and crazy as she’d heard.

He rolled his eyes. _**“’course it is; it’s just ‘not done’ after the shinigami is powerful enough to make us materialize.”**_ He explained. **_“Not to say it doesn’t, but not to people other than their wielder.”_**

Rukia hopped down out of the closet. “It’s still doesn’t seem real…even though I can clearly feel him…” She admitted, edging closer to the bed.

With a whirl of activity, she found herself picked up and deposited under the covers next to Ichigo before she could blink. Ichigo didn’t stir. **_“He’s absorbing the soul pieces me and Ossan brought back, and what the echo had. He won’t be up before noon.”_** White Zangetsu told her.

“You’re not like you are in the memories.” She told him.

**_“I’m more balanced in what I am.”_** He said frankly. _**“Don’t worry; you’ll get to see that the first chance I get to fight.”**_

_Right, he wants to beat up Urahara and Isshin-taichou…_ Rukia reminded herself. She tried laying pressed back to back with Ichigo, but soon rolled over so she could hide her face in his back. They’d never been touchy, beyond punching and kicking and patching him up, but the same thing that drove her out of the closet to start with drove that.

**_“We might not have lasted long enough, if ya hadn’t kept the pass on your person.”_** White Zangetsu said suddenly, leaning against the closet door. **_“Even tho’ your power was gone from ‘im when he got it, there was still a touch of it. Enough so Ossan and I could nibble off of you with no problems.”_**

She couldn’t avoid hearing the sense of relief and gratitude underneath the disinterested tone. “Think we’ll pull it off? The more time passes, the more that things will change and the less likely things will play out the same way.”

_**“Even if we can’t manage it on the Sokyoku Hill, keeping Hat’n’Clogs’s magic rock from him will help.”**_ He pointed out. **_“Keepin’ Ichigo alive and in existence will be more of a victory than Aizen dead.”_**

“Yeah…” She admitted, closing her eyes and focusing on the heartbeat in front of her, the strong, living reiatsu of the person to change her fate.

_/‘Do you love him?’_

_‘I know I’m not in love with him. It’s not romantic or familial love, or friendship. It’s…being adopted by the Kuchiki changed my life. Meeting him changed my fate. With him, I know with certainty that I can place my complete trust in him.’/_

* * *

Zangetsu waited until Kuchiki-chan’s breathing evened out. What no one else but Zangetsu-Ossan could tell was how much smoother the process would go with her in proximate physical contact. Having used her power to help hold everything together, it was easier to disentangle what was hers and what was his with the main source pulling on her bits of power._** “Are you going to come in?”** _He asked. _**“Neither of them will being waking up for the time being.”**_

Isshin stepped inside. The pair just…stood there. Zangetsu had learned a bit of patience during his time awake in the badge, so he was prepared to wait…for the minute.

“So how clear are things? From back then?” Isshin finally asked, leaning on the wall next to the door, perpendicular to Zangetsu.

_**“It’s like watching an old family movie. You can recognize everyone, and you can tell what you’ve heard stories about, but there’s no direct memory of the events.**_” He replied frankly.

Much like his wielder, he was a straightforward kind of spirit. The closest he had gotten to ‘manipulation’ and ‘lying’ was when he’d been goading Ichigo before the Visored training, and even then, he’d only managed it by being closer to a Hollow than a zanpakutou. **_“Masaki-san would visit, in her dreams. I know the first time was an accident, and maybe the second, but she figured out how to find it on purpose. Bright and chatty and annoying and…impossible to actually hate. Even after moving into Ichigo, only dimly aware of anything…there used to be a sun, in his Inner World, when Masaki-san was nearby. Until she wasn’t, and the first clear ‘picture’ of outside in fourteen years was the grief and guilt of a nine year old kid.”_**

He didn’t look at Isshin, staring out the window._** “Then came anger and hatred, at anything and everything, including himself. He stopped running from bullies and punk kids and started facing them, so he could work up to being the protector he hadn’t been that day. No matter that there was nothing a kid his size and age could’ve done, even if I’d been unsuppressed and capable of acting.”**_

He pushed off of the closet. **_“I don’t give a damn how understanding he acts. Not when I’m the one who felt the sense of betrayal at your silence the most. So I’ll kick your ass for that, even more than for how those fuckin’ strings burned.”_** Shrugging a shoulder out of his kosode, Zangetsu showed off the criss-cross of faint, gray lines on his upper arm.

Pulling it back up, he looked at Isshin out of the corner of his eyes. **_“So if you think I’m out for revenge for what happened twenty years ago, forget it. Zanpakutou or Hollow, it’s the hurts against Ichigo that I’ll beat you up for. No matter how loud he yells that he’s not hurt. He doesn’t know how to look after himself like that anyway.”_**

His piece said, he returned to the Inner World. _A long moment later, he felt Isshin leave Ichigo’s room._

_**“Going smoother?”** He asked Zangetsu-Ossan._

_“_ **Yes.”** _ The other spirit replied._

_The pair watched as various pieces they had rescued from the future Ichigo were ‘smoothed’ into the existing structures. Zangetsu could feel his lips thin as, even once a piece was flush with the present Ichigo’s soul, the color still made it easy to pick out. “_ **A technique such as that leaves marks that can never be erased.** _” Ossan remarked._

_**“Doesn’t mean I have to like that fact.”** Zangetsu grumbled, glaring at one piece (something he’d grabbed, he thought) and wishing he could take his white and whitewash the color and the pain associated with it._

_If Ichigo had survived the destruction of his soul, his reiraku would not have been white or red._

_It would have turned as black as the Final Getsuga Tenshou._

_**“Any problems, merging with your past self?”** Zangetsu found himself asking, if only to distract himself from his distaste of the pieces’ color._

_“_**Given what the source soul does, there was less resistance then I had expected.”** _Ossan answered. “_**It seems to have increased the future sight somewhat.**_” He added._

_“**I still don’t get how that can work.”** Zangetsu complained. “**How can any mind comprehend an infinite number of futures that constantly change with each passing second?”**_

_Ossan said nothing, but if he was any less casual, he’d have shrugged._

_Zangetsu was glad merging with his past self was more along the lines of ‘rip the damn strings off and eat him’. No negotiations required, and no different from consuming any other Hollow._

_Not that he’d ever gotten to DO that, but he had enough of the instincts to know what to do. Flexing his hand, he let himself wince at the dart of pain from the burns on his palm, that he’d concealed by crossing his arms and hiding his hands._

_Isshin’s fire-type zanpakutou made reishi strings created from his reiryoku basically lines of fire, and that made burns created by them resist healing or regeneration. **“Think he’ll be able to create a bow like Arrow-idiot?”** He asked Ossan. **“I’m not holding out much hope on him learning kido.”**_

**“I’ve given up on having expectations, except for having no expectations.”** _Ossan explained. _**“Given how much of a melee fighter he is…**_”_

_**“I need to figure out garganta. The Hollows that turn up in Karakura normally will only take me so far evolving.”** Zangetsu reminded himself. “**If I can’t manage to make Vasto Lorde then I’m demanding a refund.”**_

_Ossan just raised an eyebrow. **“C’mon, as powerful as he is he’d likely Hollowify into a Gillian! Especially since he can’t do anything the normal way.”** Zangetsu protested._

(Across the multiverse, various versions of Ichigo who had done precisely that, and turned into Gillian-level Hollows straight off, squeezed, no matter the impossibility of the act for some of them.)

**“And who, exactly, would you demand a refund from?”** _Ossan asked drily._

** _“…not the point…”_ **


	6. Chapter 6

_Pain._

_It was the only thing he was conscious of. It was on a scale that he couldn’t begin to imagine, worse than when the links of his chain consumed themselves, and all he could picture (when he could muster up the focus) was that one way to quarter a person, tying a horse to each limb and then they run in four different directions._  
_ There was the sound of crumbling underneath the pain, and then he heard Zangetsu-Ossan and his Hollow, who’d unfused, yelling at each other. He thought he was curled up in a ball, and the effort of covering his ears made him whimper, the only sound he could make. Just the act of existing seemed to be a source of pain._

_Then a miracle._

_It wasn’t that the pain suddenly vanished, but it…reduced in intensity, enough so where it didn’t hurt so much to open his eyes and uncover his ears a fraction._

_His Hollow had wrapped himself around him, trying for maximum surface area covered. He was speaking. “**…’mon Ichigo, focus on me.”**_

_It took a moment for Ichigo to realize what the expression on his Hollow’s face was._

_Horror. “?” He made a noise, not sure why the Hollow was horrified but willing to put up with him as long as it stopped the pain._

_**“There’s a consequence to the Final Getsuga Tenshou Ossan and I didn’t know about.”** He said, desperation in his voice. “**I’ll explain the details, but it’s because you’ve got Hollow, Shinigami, and Quincy in ya. Your soul had been usin’ your power to keep itself stable. It’s why you’ve always seen ghosts; your soul couldn’t be without that minimum amount of power. But that technique…it’s reducing your power to below that minimum. We knew you’d lose your power and your link to us, but we had no idea about your soul.”**_

_“…feels like I’m…being pulled apart…” Ichigo managed to get out, the sounds of his Inner World crumbling slowing down._

_“**The cat chick got ya back to your body, but that’s only slowing it down. Ossan and I are gonna grab as many important bits as we can, and leap to the combat pass, since it’s next to ya outside. I don’t know why we’re trying, beyond trying to save some part of you, and selfishly saving ourselves.”** The Hollow admitted._

_“…how?” Ichigo asked. He really wanted to ask ‘why’, but the ‘how’ felt more important._

_The Hollow sighed. **“Like just about everything, it starts with Aizen—“**_

_“Did we get him?” Ichigo cut in, because if he’d destroyed himself for nothing…_

_**“Hat’n’Clogs had a trap kido on ‘im, so he’s not an active threat to Karakura or Soul Society.”** The Hollow scowled, and _wow I really do look scary like that; focus Ichigo.

** _“With his own version of the Hogyoku, he made an Arrancar from nothin’ but Shinigami souls. He wanted it to infect a Shinigami and Hollowify their zanpakutou, so he let it out to play in Naruki City. Where one Shiba Isshin, Captain of the Tenth Division, encountered it. And while he was fightin’ it, one Kurosaki Masaki came to his aid. She was an Echt Quincy, meanin’ her family’s been Quincy as far back as any records say.”_ **

_Somehow, learning his mother was a Quincy wasn’t as shocking as it likely would have been at any other time._

_**“Now that Arrancar, which the blind guy called White, had realized it couldn’t just infect any Shinigami’s zanpakutou. They had to be powerful, but the effort of subduing both Shinigami and zanpakutou would be too much. They also had to be female, even if it didn’t understand why. So when Masaki-san intervened, she checked the boxes of ‘powerful’, ‘female’, and ‘no active zanpakutou’. So…it infected her. But more like a parasite than a virus. But Quincy souls have no defense against Hollow energy; their souls self-destruct in Soul Suicide, with no chance of Hollowification. Hat’n’Clogs had a solution; by using reishi strings to tie a Shinigami’s power to Masaki-san’s soul, and usin’ a special gigai to seal it, the Shinigami’s power would suppress the Arrancar and save Masaki-san. But it would leave the Shinigami stuck in the gigai with no power at all.”** The Hollow explained._

_**“Now, some time passes; Masaki-san ends up marrying Goat Face and gets pregnant. Which was when the sealed Arrancar White realized why ‘female’ was important. By latching onto a new soul in utero, it could take over the basically ‘blank’ zanpakutou with no effort. But movin’ to that new soul didn’t break the reishi strings, so it was still sealed. Until Hat’n’Clogs tossed ya in that pit, and ya found your inborn Shinigami powers right on the edge of turnin’ into a Hollow.”** Ichigo’s eyes widened when the implication hit. **“They didn’t break completely ‘til your fight with the cherry blossom idiot, but there was enough ‘room’ to conjure the mask to absorb some of the blows. I didn’t realize at the time what I was, let alone ‘who’, but I knew at the heart of it, my job was to protect ya. And since ya were always searchin’ for ‘justification’ to fight someone, and didn’t strike to kill…”**_

_“You decided the way to protect me was to take control.” Ichigo finished quietly. “So when you said you were Zangetsu…”_

_**“I was tellin’ the truth, but since Ossan had reached ya first, it wasn’t like you’d believe me. Even though when you’d need to learn something new about Zangetsu, he called me. I’ve gotten closer to some kind of balance between Hollow and Zanpakutou, but…’bad first impression’ understates things.”** The grin on his face was bitter. “**It was better to leave the status quo as it was; when you were using the mask I could at least protect you a little.”**_

_“What about that time, when I blacked out? During the fight with Ulquiorra?” Ichigo asked._

_**“Ya wanted to keep protecting Inoue-chan, but ya weren’t about to let me out to do that, no matter how bad things were. But bein’ in Hueco Mundo gave me power. So…I could fill your body with Hollow energy, but not control it. It responded to what amounted to your ‘dying’ wish, so…and to make sure he wouldn’t be a threat anymore…”** The Hollow; no, White Zangetsu, lifted a shoulder in a shrug._

**“I cannot carry more.”** _ Zangetsu-Ossan said suddenly, appearing behind them._

_**“It seems like this is keepin’ the pain at bay a little.”** White Zangetsu elaborated. **“So if we can switch out fast enough…”**_

_Ichigo closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the return of that overwhelming pain._

_There was a rustle of cloth, and the sense of being shifted into a lap. Opening his eyes, he saw that Zangetsu-Ossan had wrapped him up in his cloak, his lanky limbs letting him hold Ichigo in his lap like Ichigo was a little kid. “Ossan…” Ichigo said, feeling himself relax a fraction more._

_Which left him feeling guilty, since if his Hollow was really Zangetsu, where did Zangetsu-Ossan come from?_

**“I had wanted to keep you from this fate.”** _He said suddenly. “_**The fate of a Shinigami. The battles, the suffering, and…how, one day, the ‘me’ I came from, would kill you.”**

_“…what do you mean?” Ichigo asked._

**“All Quincy are descended from a single man; Yhwach. He is their King. He was born without senses, voice, or movement. Those who touched him gained a piece of his soul. When they died, those pieces returned to him, and in time, he gained the senses and voice and movement he lacked. Every Quincy is born with a piece of his soul. Ultimately, I embody the Quincy power you inherited from Masaki.”**

_“…was it all a lie?” Ichigo carefully asked. “Everything you said?”_

**“In the end, the only lie I spoke was my name. I tried to replace the Hollow as the source of your power, trying to suppress your incredible potential, sure that was the only way to keep you from death at the hands of Yhwach. But your willpower…despite all the challenges, all the pain, all the suffering…my heart’s resolve wavered, and in the end, I started helping you.”** _ His face was stone, but his voice reflected his sorrow. “_ **Now I wish my resolve had been stronger.”**

_“Wait, he’s still alive?” Ichigo questioned._

_“_ **Yes. It was because of him, that Masaki fell to Grand Fisher that day.”**

_Ichigo felt himself stop breathing. Zangetsu-Ossan continued, _ **“He can forcibly recall his soul pieces back to him. A thousand years ago, he warred with Soul Society, and was defeated by Yamamoto, but not killed. After nine hundred ninety years of being sealed, he used ‘Auswählen’, and took the power of all the Quincy he regarded as ‘impure’, like mixed blood Quincy and those ‘tainted’, like Masaki was, and made it his own. This is what robbed Masaki of her power right as she was facing Grand Fisher. There’s a technique called Blut Vene, which acts in a manner similar to a Hollow’s hierro that she was a master of, so at minimum, she should have gotten both of you away without a scratch.”**

_“…so, he’s been planning his return all this time?” Ichigo asked._

**“Yes. But protecting anyone when he returns is beyond us now.”**

_The pair fell quiet, listening to the crumbling, punctuated by White Zangetsu’s cursing. It was then Ichigo noticed it was raining._

_Finally, White Zangetsu appeared next to the pair. “**I can’t carry anymore either.”** He declared._

_“What now?” Ichigo asked, trying not to panic, quietly terrified of being left alone with that overwhelming pain in his crumbling Inner World._

_Glancing at Zangetsu-Ossan, White Zangetsu returned to something like his previous position, Ichigo being hugged between them. “**Can we make the jump like this?”** He asked._

_“_**…We should be able to.”** _Zangetsu-Ossan agreed after a moment’s thought._

_**“We’re not gonna let go of ya, and we won’t leave you alone to suffer.”** White Zangetsu promised. **“Leapin’ to the combat pass with your conscious mind should give the bits we grabbed more cohesion. We can’t say how much of ‘you’ will be there…”**_

**“…but the pain will not be.”** _ Zangetsu-Ossan finished._

_“…do it.” Ichigo decided. “Before both of you holding me isn’t enough to stop the pain.” Faintly, he was aware of his face growing wet. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for hurting both of you like this.”_

_“**Even though both of us started out as something else, we’re still you, and you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t do everything in your power to protect everyone around you.”** White Zangetsu admitted._

_“_**This is all we can do to protect at least a part of you.”** _Zangetsu-Ossan said._

_“But after leaping to the pass, what then?” Ichigo asked._

_Zangetsu-Ossan was quiet for what felt like an eternity. “_**…the source soul can see the future. I have nowhere near the strength he has with it, but…just the sense, of a chance. That doing this…will not only save some portion of this you, but save you in your entirety. I just can’t see the details.”** _He revealed reluctantly._

_“**Then, here we go.”**_

_Power swirled around the trio, White-Zangetsu’s mix of Shinigami and Hollow, and Zangetsu-Ossan’s unusual, personal power that reminded Ichigo of Ishida. Closing his eyes, Ichigo felt his consciousness drifting away._

* * *

_Opening his eyes, he knew. “_…I feel like Ichigo, but I know I’m not really him.”_ He said, the Zangetsu pair letting go of him._

_There was a shadow of relief, that there was no pain when contact was lost. “_ **A snapshot, then. Or an echo.”** _ Zangetsu-Ossan declared._

_The echo of the soul known as Kurosaki Ichigo took in the surroundings. The remains of Ichigo’s Inner World, dropping off sharply into blackness some distance away. “_Is it alright if I sleep? Rest?”_ He asked, sensing it might be better if he wasn’t active._

_**“Yeah. The two of us can trade off on keeping an ear on the outside.”** White Zangetsu agreed. “**This is gonna get really boring, really fast, with nothing like a window outside.”**_

_“_**We will wake you up if one of us hears something we know Ichigo would want to know about.”** _Zangetsu-Ossan vowed. _**“I will listen first.”** _He told White Zangetsu, returning to his pole with a graceful leap._

_White Zangetsu and Ichigo’s echo curled around each other, seeking something like the company of another person, in this tiny world of just the three of them._

* * *

_“_…time travel?”_ Ichigo’s echo repeated, as Urahara began. _“Do you think it can work?”

_“**This is Hat’n’Clogs here, so more than likely.”** White Zangetsu pointed out._

**“That fits with that sense of a chance doing this gave off.”** _ Zangetsu-Ossan agreed. _ **“But we will discover shortly if it works.”**

_Even nestled inside Rukia’s soul, the three could still sense some kind of intense cold. Then—_

_/“Shinigami!”/_

_**“…it worked.”** White Zangetsu marveled, his voice thick with an emotion most everyone would not attribute to him. “**It really worked.”**_

_/“I’m too injured to fight…and help would never arrive in time.”/ Rukia reluctantly admitted. /“Do you want…to save your family?”/_

_“Stupid question.” The trio chorused, Zangetsu-Ossan joining in for a change._

_“_Think we can jump when she stabs me? Him?”_ Ichigo’s echo asked._

_“_**…we should be able to.”** _Zangetsu-Ossan decided._

_**“Should maybe make a little detour and let Kuchiki-chan know we’re here.”** White Zangetsu added, Rukia and Ichigo exchanging names as Rukia’s power began rising and rising._

* * *

_“_Hey.”_ The echo greeted Rukia._

_Who immediately hugged him. He hugged her back, the way Ichigo would his sisters, because even if he couldn’t feel it properly, it was an immense relief to see someone else for a change._

_It was good to see her, too, not appearing worse for wear from the trip back in time, or from the invasion._

_Zangetsu came up behind her, each laying a hand on her shoulder, making her raise her head. “How…? Your soul—“_

“—was shredded, since as a hybrid of Hollow, Quincy, and Shinigami, I literally can not exist powerless, and thus the Final Getsuga Tenshou became my suicide technique? I know.”_ He smiled crookedly. “_It’s not really me; I’m an echo.”

_“_**If we had known just what the true cost of that technique was, we would never had taught him.”** _Zangetsu-Ossan rumbled. _**“Once we realized what was happening, both of us drew the important pieces to us, and leapt to the badge.”**

_**“It was a last ditch effort to protect at least some part of him.”** White-Zangetsu admitted. **“I suppose we should have realized Hat’n’Clogs had time travel up his sleeve.”**_

_“How much were you…” She started to ask, trailing off._

_“_**We’re well aware of what was happening around us, thanks to your habit of keeping the badge on your person, which, by the way, is the only reason we can talk to you now.”** _Zangetsu-Ossan explained, faking a knowing look, mostly to mess with her._

_“_Rukia.”_ She turned back to him. _“Thanks for trying to protect my younger self, but neither Aizen or Yhwach would let me live in peace. The three of us will pass what we know onto him. But please teach him kido.”_ He requested, feeling the faint regret of the __original Ichigo for having never learned any, after witnessing Urahara’s trap._

_“I’ll try.” She promised, likely remembering his poor control._

_**“We’re almost out of time.”** White-Zangetsu declared. **“Be prepared; things will be a touch different. And bug Hat’n’nClogs for an asauchi; we heard all of that.”**_

“See you on the outside, Kuchiki-fukutaichou.”_ The echo addressed Rukia by her hard-earned rank. “_Don’t be afraid of getting close; I’m still me, even if I won’t share the same memories. We’ll make new ones. Just like you will with the others.”

_Rukia disappeared, and the echo of Kurosaki Ichigo, from a future that will no longer happen, closed his eyes for the last time. With a faint smile, he let go of the consciousness that had let him maintain the look of Ichigo. _Good luck, Ichigo…

* * *

_Ichigo opened his eyes, looking up at the sky of his Inner World. Standing up, he could see where the pieces of his old future self had integrated in, stained from the use of the Final Getsuga Tenshou. I’ll make sure the goal you gave up your soul for will be achieved, this time. He silently vowed to those pieces. “Are you two going to come out?” He asked._

_Turning around, he was pleased to see White-Zangetsu and Zangetsu-Ossan both standing there. He felt himself smiling in a way he couldn’t recall doing in a long time. “So…are there any Quincy skills I can use?” He asked. “Maybe the mask will last longer now, too…”_

_The Zangetsu pair stared at him. “What?” He asked, looking between them. “Both of you are Zangetsu. It would be nice to learn something at a slower pace than the hands-on rushing I’ve learned stuff in before.”_

**“…you won’t have the fake Bankai I created.”** _Zangetsu-Ossan pointed out._

_**“And even though we both remember it, we still need to duke it out again before you get to use the mask. Actually, we might be able to go farther than just the mask…”** White Zangetsu reminded him, before being distracted by possibilities._

_“And? Even though it’s not my proper Bankai, it’s still highly useful, so I can learn it again, right?” Ichigo commented. “And what do you mean ‘go farther’? Something like a Hollow or Arrancar form?” He asked._

_**“You’re kinda more accepting than we were expecting.”** White Zangetsu admitted in lieu of answering the question, Zangetsu-Ossan radiating the same sentiment. “**Even with the merger…”**_

_“Did you really think things could return to the way they had been before, after what we went through? If nothing else, you can’t terrorize me anymore after all the cuddling we did.” Ichigo smirked at White Zangetsu._

_White-Zangetsu turned slightly pink, and Ichigo expected that if his skin was a normal color he’d be bright red. “**DON'T CALL IT CUDDLING!”** He protested, leaping to pin a laughing Ichigo._

_Zangetsu-Ossan just sighed, but even he couldn’t stop his own faint smile at the roughhousing pair. With the lessons from a future that will never happen, he’ll grow even more and even faster than before… “Oh yeah,” Ichigo remembered, wrestling out of White-Zangetsu’s hold. “I know I can’t use it now, but what IS my Shikai release phrase?”_

_Silence echoed. **“Don’t look at me; I have no idea, and Ossan has more experience as a zanpakutou than I do.”** White-Zangetsu protested, tossing Zangetsu-Ossan to the lions._

_“_**…truthfully, I didn’t see the point in one.”** _He finally admitted. “_**Since your Shikai scarcely takes any energy to maintain, sealing your zanpakutou just added an unnecessary step. Even if Shinigami are like samurai, and honor the time it take to release a zanpakutou…”**

_Ichigo bit his lip, trying his best not to laugh. “So…you have until Rukia is taken back to Soul Society to figure out what it is. I probably should also stick with the zanpakutou formed from mine and Rukia’s power, and not the asauchi, until after that…well, first I need that single zanpakutou…_

**“If you insist.”** _ This time, Ichigo did laugh, given the expression on Zangetsu-Ossan’s face of being sentenced to some terrible punishment._


	7. Chapter 7

Ichigo stretched, leaning back against the park bench. When he’d finally woken up that day, it was just past noon, and Yuzu and Karin had wedged themselves around his legs, and Rukia was on the floor leaning against the bed, flipping through one of his Shakespeare books. “I don’t get this…” She complained. “Plus souls do not work like that…”

“You know the Living World has no clue about all of that, right? So they have to make stuff up.” Ichigo said, shifting enough to prompt the twins to move and let him get up.

“But where the hell do they get their ideas from?!” She exclaimed as Ichigo dug around for clothes. With Ichigo awake, Yuzu and Karin left his room.

“Frankly, I think part of the problem is because of the translation process. Elizabethan English into modern Japanese…some things just don’t translate well.” He said with a shrug, casually picking her up and setting her outside his door. “Now let me get dressed.” He told her as he closed the door.

There had been a Hollow alert in the park, after the little boy ghost, and after the Hollow was dead and the boy konsou-ed, Rukia finally asked, “Why did that change again?” She asked, waving a hand at his shihakushou.

She KNEW there had been some kind of symbol on his left breast, and the two, regular sealed zanpakutou were replaced with the single monstrosity of before.

“I suggested, and Zangetsu agreed, that it’s probably better to use this thing until I go to Soul Society.” Ichigo explained, slipping back into his body. “And not imprint on an asauchi until after you go back. Trying to limit differences, y’know?”

“You’ve got a point…” Rukia agreed. “Do humans have any books talking about time travel? Orihime-chan had mentioned some kind of doctor?”

“Oh boy…” With a sigh, he took Rukia to the bookstore, where, once he grabbed ‘Thermodynamics for Dummies’, he led her over to the corner devoted completely to ‘Doctor Who’. “Try not to bring it up around Oyaji. He’s a huge fan.” He warned, as Rukia just stared at the… “What’s up with the blue?” She asked. “And this box?” She added, picking up an example that was apparently also a ‘piggy bank’.

“’Doctor Who’ is a British TV show about this alien who travels throughout time and space in his time machine, which is stuck looking like an antique phone box. He ends up hauling various people around with him, and there’s a lot of running. And time paradoxes and fixed moments and changing things…” He trailed off as she set the piggy bank down, just surveying the display. “It’s all just theory and imagination; there’s no way to prove time travel. But people like to bang their heads against the possibilities.”

“Is it just one alien? There’s a lot of these figures marked ‘The Doctor’, but with different faces…” She asked, gesturing at the action figures.

“When he’s dying he can regenerate and save himself, but it’s a completely new body and personality. I think it was originally just a way to explain the change in actor instead of ignoring it, but now it’s a major thing, every time they announce a new Doctor.” Ichigo hauled her to the cash register before she could look anymore. “If you really want to know more, ask Inoue.”

Now they were back at the park. Thankfully, she wasn’t making him try to hit baseballs again, instead muttering to herself as she started ‘Thermodynamics for Dummies’. “But this is talking about energy and heat…” She remarked.

“Freezing is just the removal of heat and energy.” He explained. “I’m not sure how much would relate to human tissues, but it should be a good start.”

“Kurosaki-kun! Kuchiki-san!” Looking up, they saw Inoue hopping down the steps and only just catching herself when she landed at the bottom. “So what are you two doing?”

“We got kicked out of the house while the contractors are there repairing the hole. I just didn’t grab a book fast enough.” Ichigo replied.

“Wow, I didn’t think contractors worked Sundays…” Inoue remarked, shopping bag idly swinging in her hands.

“They do for my dad. I think he’s treated nearly everyone of that crew at least once and their families, plus he’s willing to pay extra.” Ichigo shrugged. He hadn’t paid much attention last time, but his dad had a whole network of people whose injuries and illnesses he had treated, or family members. So for pretty much everything that might go wrong in the house or clinic, Isshin had a name and number for someone who can take care of it quickly.

“What happened to you?” Rukia asked, eyeing the bandage peeking out from the edge of Inoue’s sleeve.

“I went out for a drink last night and a car side-swiped me.” Inoue said nonchalantly. “I day-dream a lot.”

“Did you report it?” Ichigo asked.

“Well it’s not like the car was trying to hit me…” Inoue protested.

“They still fled the scene of an accident.” Ichigo pointed out, before looking down her leg. “What about your leg? That looks painful.”

“It really hurts! I think it’s from when I landed after the accident last night.” Inoue considered the ‘bruise’, Ichigo and Rukia both frowning at it.

“You should come to the clinic. There might be some deep tissue damage or even a hair-line fracture." Ichigo cautioned.

“Oh! N-no, I’ve got something at home to put on it…” Inoue flushed as she spoke.

“At least let me carry you the rest of the way home. It’s better for you to stay off that leg.” Ichigo turned around and crouched down so he could carry Inoue on his back.

“WHAT?! I-I’m fin—“ Rukia gently tugged Inoue’s shopping bag from her hand. “You can tell me what you’re planning for dinner, and then Kurosaki-kun can do all the work while we enjoy.” Rukia chirped, Ichigo glaring at her from the corner of his eyes.

“O-okay…” Inoue consented, her face red as she wrapped her arms around Ichigo’s neck. “I’m not too heavy?”

“Eh, I’ve carried heavier.” Ichigo brushed it off, only for Rukia to kick him in the leg. “OW!!! Dam-darn it woman…”

“You shouldn’t insult a lady like that Kurosaki-kun.” Rukia ‘scolded’ as they departed, communicating to him that she wasn’t going to let him get away with trying to take on the Hollow of Inoue Sora alone.

“You two seem like good friends already.” Inoue commented, feeling at hint of jealousy at Rukia’s confidence.

“Kurosaki-sensei is on the list to board students, and it’s too hard for me to go home every day, or even every week. So I’m staying with Kurosaki-kun.” Ichigo had forgotten how much her faux school girl voice annoyed him.

“Because walking in on my bath is such a great ice-breaker.” Ichigo lied without much thought, blushing when he comprehended what he’d just said.

Rukia and Inoue blushed too. “I-I thought you were upstairs! Don’t just ninja in there!” Rukia protested, keeping up the lie.

“It’s my house; I’m not ninja-ing anywhere!” Ichigo countered, hearing Zangetsu laughing in his head. _Shut up Zan._

_ **With this entertainment? Hell no.** _

Inoue giggled at the pair. “You don’t have to act like you barely know each other. Around me at least.” She said. “Did you two meet a long time ago and then one of you moved away?”

“Something like that.” Ichigo went along with it, trying not to blush when something drew his attention to how Inoue’s chest felt against his back. “We’re almost there, right?”

“Yup!” Inoue nodded.

Tatsuki was waiting at the door, carrying a bowl. “Ichigo! Why are you carrying Orihime?” She asked, suspicious.

“She got hit by a car last night, and with how her leg’s bruised she needs to stay off of it, since she turned down going to the clinic.” Ichigo explained, shifting enough to draw Tatsuki’s attention to the bruise.

“Why didn’t you call me?!” Tatsuki scolded as Inoue handed Rukia her key to unlock the door.

“It’s not that big of a deal, Tatsuki-chan…” Inoue protested, Ichigo carefully setting her down at her table.

“You said you have something to put on it?” Rukia asked. _I hope Ichigo being in here prods Sora into action earlier…_

“Ye—“ Inoue cut off as…something…fell over the room.

Tatsuki eyed the room, tense as Ichigo stood by Orihime, equally tense. While she wasn’t overly surprised to see Ichigo hovering (he was too kind-hearted to not do something), she was surprised to Kuchiki’s eyes flicking over the room as she stuck a hand in her pocket. “We’re not all imagining things, right?” Tatsuki questioned, as Orihime’s teddy bear, Enraku, fell off his shelf.

“How did this rip get here…?” Orihime asked herself, before she noticed the red stain on her hand. “Blo—“

Ichigo and Rukia could see the hand that came out of Enraku and thrusted Orihime’s soul from her body, while Tatsuki only saw Orihime’s body go flying back. “Orihime!” She cried, running over.

A flash of red caught her eye, and turning her head, Tatsuki saw Rukia thrust her hand (now with a red glove on it) at Ichigo’s chest, and now—“The hell Kuchiki?!” _How do you knock someone unconscious like that?!_

“Go left!” Rukia barked, stretching her arms in front of her.

Sensing something, Tatsuki did as ordered as Rukia began speaking. _"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"_

Tatsuki thought there might be some kind of red light forming in front of her palm. “Hado sanjuuichi! Shakkahou!” Rukia yelled, scowling at whatever she had just done did not have the result she wanted. “Ichigo! Stop playing around!”

“What?!” Tatsuki exclaimed. _Ichigo’s unconscious over there, so who—_ The outside wall exploded out, and she would swear she heard Ichigo yelling.

Orihime, her soul huddling in a corner, just watched with wide eyes. Kurosaki-kun was in black, traditional clothes, with a huge sword. And he was attacking the snake-like thing that kept screaming her name. It grabbed Kurosaki-kun, pushing him through the wall, making it explode. “Kurosaki-kun!” She yelled, running over to the hole, dragging the chain with her.

“Stay back Inoue!” Kuchiki-san ordered, pushing her back. “You too Arisawa!”

“What the hell is going on?!” Tatsuki demanded, dragging Orihime’s body away from the hole.

“Argh!” Ichigo screamed, as Hollow-Sora spat acid, catching it on his arm.

His skin itching and tingling as Zangetsu’s regeneration kicked in, Ichigo followed Hollow-Sora back into the apartment.

“Did you forget about me so easily, Orihime?!” Hollow-Sora demanded, Orihime’s soul in his hands. “Your own brother!”

“You can’t be Sora! He’d—“ Ichigo cut off Hollow-Sora’s arms, making him drop Orihime’s soul.

“Don’t call yourself her brother. Big brothers are born first to protect the little ones born after!” Ichigo countered.

**_King, you’re a bleeding heart._** Zangetsu complained. **_Like this small fry is actually a challenge._**

_Shut up. And you’re not eating him._

**_Thought never crossed my mind._** Zangetsu answered, surprised.**_ Like I’m gonna eat anything below a Gillian._**

Hollow-Sora lunged for Tatsuki and Rukia. “Sora-nii!” Orihime’s soul threw herself in front of the pair.

Ichigo only just got between Orihime and Hollow-Sora, Hollow-Sora biting most of Ichigo’s ‘zanpakutou’ and his right arm. “I didn’t want to make you worry! I wanted to show you that I’d be okay! So you’d be at peace!” Orihime cried, going around Ichigo to hug Hollow-Sora. “I didn’t realize how much I was hurting you…”

Hollow-Sora was frozen, to the point that he didn’t realize that Ichigo had gotten his arm free. “If you could let go of my sword…” Ichigo trailed off awkwardly, not wanting to break up the moment, but also wanting to purify Inoue’s brother before the Hollow part reasserted itself.

“What will that do?” Inoue asked as Hollow-Sora released Ichigo’s zanpakutou.

“It will let me move his soul on.” Ichigo replied.

“Do it.” Sora agreed. “I can feel it…”

“Have a good day, Sora-nii.” Inoue said as Ichigo cleanly bisected Sora, the pieces dissolving into reishi.

“Alright can someone explain what the hell is going on?!” Tatsuki demanded, Ichigo’s hand whipping out and grabbing Rukia’s before she pulled out her memory thing.

“Just lay back on your body to go back in.” Ichigo advised Inoue, checking that the wounds on his arm were healed enough to reenter his body.

Rukia sighed. _You couldn’t just have killed him without the drama…_ “Sometimes, people’s souls linger in the Living World, becoming ghosts. Over time, they lose their hearts to despair, turning into something called a Hollow. If it’s a person that causes them to linger, that person is usually the first victim. That’s where Shinigami come in. We purify Hollows of the sins committed as a Hollow, and aid lingering souls in crossing over.” She explained as Orihime and Ichigo ‘revived’, making Tatsuki jump.

“So you’re one of these ‘Shinigami’?” Tatsuki asked Rukia.

“Technically…the other night, a Hollow attacked Ich-Kurosaki-kun’s family, but I became too badly wounded to fight. So I tried to transfer part of my power to him, so he could kill the Hollow. But he took nearly all of them. So he’s doing my job until my power recovers.” Rukia explained.

“It was Sora-nii. He had gotten upset that I’d only tell him the good things, since I wanted to let him know I’d be okay without him.” Orihime said quietly.

“You had no way of knowing what was happening to him. I’m guessing it was a sudden death?” Rukia asked, remembering that she wasn’t supposed to know about Orihime’s brother.

“Car crash. He died as Dad was trying to get him transferred to Karakura Hospital.” Ichigo ‘revealed’.

“So…how do we explain the hole in the wall?” Tatsuki said after a few minutes, pointing at the hole. “And I’m kinda surprised no one’s come to investigate…”

“Well standard procedure is to alter the memories of victims…” Rukia started.

“But I didn’t see a thing!!” Tatsuki exclaimed.

“And I think I was dreaming! Or like, spontaneous astral projecting!” Orihime said earnestly, giving Rukia puppy eyes. “After all, sumo yakuza gunmen are very random when they attack people!”

Ichigo bit the inside of his mouth, doing his best not to laugh at the irony of Inoue imagining the fake memory that had been implanted originally. Zangetsu cackling in his head wasn’t helping. “What can you do? It’s her brother.” He got out, shrugging.

“…I’ll call Urahara…” Rukia ‘grumbled’, pulling out her phone.

“Wait, then…” Orihime eyed her ‘bruise’. “Right before the car hit me, I thought I had heard Sora-nii telling me to watch out. He…pulled me out of the way, didn’t he?”

“Probably.” Ichigo agreed as Tatsuki punched his arm. “The hell?”

“You’ve been lying to me about seeing ghosts all these years, haven’t you?” She accused with narrowed eyes.

“Like people ever believe it!” Ichigo protested.

“So… Sora-nii attacked me because I’m his only family, but why would a monster attack Kurosaki-kun’s family?” Orihime asked, rising to put her groceries away.

“I-Kurosaki-kun’s really powerful for a human. While a Hollow’s first victim is family, afterwards they aim for powerful humans that can see them. Thankfully, the really strong ones don’t usually come to the World of the Living. Those are cannibals.” Rukia remarked, snapping her phone shut.

“Wait, there’s a whole world of these things?!” Tatsuki and Ichigo exclaimed together. Tatsuki couldn’t avoid eyeing Ichigo afterwards. _He really didn’t sound surprised…_

“They have to go someplace when they’re not hunting.” Rukia pointed out. “And once they reach a certain point, only other Hollows can begin to satisfy their eternal hunger.”

“Well, I GUESS me and Orihime can take notes for you two if you ditch class for this stuff…but I want a spar! Both of you!” Tatsuki challenged with a pointed finger. “Wait, so if you’re basically a ghost, how come we can see you?”

“I’m in a gigai; a fake body. Without most of my power, I’m an easy target to Hollows if I was in soul form. Some Hollows hunt Shinigami exclusively, since even low ranked troops are more powerful than P-ghosts here. Not the normal use for one but it works. I enrolled because I stand out less given my physical appearance, and to keep close to Kurosaki-kun so he can do my job.” Rukia explained.

“Do we have to spar?” Ichigo complained, trying not to whine. While most of his reason for leaving the dojo once he won a spar against her was because defeating her had been his self-appointed goal, a small part of him didn’t want to seriously hurt her because he treated it like one of the serious fights with punks.

“Yes. Yes we do. I’m sure I’m more of a challenge than those idiot wannabe delinquents you usually beat up.” Tatsuki affirmed.

“…fine. But not today.” Ichigo gave in as Urahara and Tessai showed up. “Really Kuchiki-chan? No memory replacement?” Urahara remarked.

“I was in the bathroom.” “It was sumo yakuza gunmen and an out of body experience!” Tatsuki and Orihime chorused.

Blinking, Urahara left things at that and began his repairs. The memories of his future self had included how useful Orihime’s power was, and a fight between Tatsuki and Rukia during the wait for the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Could a Deicide arc Ichigo easily defeat Hollow-Sora/Acidwire? Yes. But given how it involves one of his nakama and a big brother, he'll drag it out if only because of that.  
I figure Tatsuki might have the beginnings of spirit sight even before the Acidwire attack, if only because she's known Ichigo for eleven years.


	8. Chapter 8

Ichigo just waved as Rukia was ‘kidnapped’ by Inoue and Tatsuki. With her remembering the encounter with Inoue Sora’s hollow, she had focused in on Rukia as a source of information.

Either way, with Rukia diverted, he began making his way to Urahara’s shop, for something he wasn’t completely sure about doing.

Actually taking a Hollow form, like he had turned into doing his fight with what he’d thought was ‘just’ his inner Hollow. Zangetsu had been gone most of last night and until lunch, apparently to Hueco Mundo, exploring possibilities. He’d promised that he could keep both of them under control, with Zangetsu-Ossan on standby.

But he would be lying to say that he wasn’t…unnerved…by the idea.

Fine, he was terrified of it. _**You know you don’t have to do this.**_ Zangetsu reminded him.

_Yes, I do. I’m terrified of losing control, but…I won’t know how to regain control if I don’t let go at least once. And…_ Ichigo trailed off, not needing to complete the thought.

The part of him that reveled in fighting, in the adrenaline rush, in showing his enemies that he was better than them…if that bit was a cat, then the idea of going to Hueco Mundo and actually hunting (eating) other Hollows…

_Now that you’ve brought it up I’m not gonna calm down until we actually do it._

* * *

Pausing briefly to let Tessai and Urahara that he’d be using the training lair, don’t panic at feeling Hollow reiatsu or a garganta opening, Ichigo skipped the ladder, landing in a crouch. Slapping the combat pass (from which Urahara had removed the restraining and tracking measures) on his chest, Ichigo made sure his body was out of the way before using shunpo to reach the vicinity of the healing spring.

Zangetsu appeared. _**“Last chance to change your mind.”**_ He said.

“Can we just do this and get it over with?” Ichigo grumbled, trying to swallow his heart back into his chest.

_**“Hey,”**_ Zangetsu prodded, laying his hands on Ichigo’s shoulders. _**“Me and Ossan will be there the whole time, and I checked; he can force the change. Hurts like a bitch, but he can force us from Hollow back into human, Shinigami form.”**_ He assured Ichigo.

That, guiltily, did make Ichigo feel better. “I’m sorry I—“

_**“Oi.”**_ Zangetsu lightly punched Ichigo in the shoulder. _**“Even with the memories from the echo, most of our interactions weren’t really positive. And I know how you hated that loss of control fighting Ulquiorra. This is just a field trip as it were, to experience the instincts when they’re goin’ full tilt. You’ll still be aware.”**_

“Okay; let’s do this. What do I do?” Ichigo asked.

_**“**__**You know what the Hollow energy feels like. It’s kinda like consciously pullin’ one of us out; you reach down, and you let it come up and out. The hard part, for you, will be not fighting it. Though it’s your own power, I can still touch it, and kinda help things along.”**_ Zangetsu explained.

Ichigo closed his eyes, doing as Zangetsu had told him, reaching for the dark, hungry power inside. Dimly aware of how the hands on his shoulders started shifting, he felt a growl in his throat as that power surged up, trying his best not to fight against it.

Then everything seemed to be wrapped up in cloth, as his hollow form opened its eyes to endless sand and night. It took a breath, its mouth salivating as it took in the reishi, feeling stronger with every breath. Ichigo was vaguely aware that his balance had changed, a tail swishing behind him.

And how the gnawing emptiness inside (somehow he’d managed to glimpse the hole in his sternum), while being eased just by the act of breathing in the Hollow-reishi filled air, kept growing.

Something bumped its shoulder, and turning its head, it saw what its instincts told it was pack, in a form much like it. Then, in a blur of movement, it was pinned to the ground, teeth on the nape of its neck. The pressure and the instinct that it would only take a hair’s more worth of pressure to inflict lethal damage made it go limp. There was fierce heat pressing against the opening under its tail, and even as it went limp, it arched into the heat, whining when it realized something was between them.

(Ichigo could feel his face burning, because holy shit he knew enough animal behavior from Yuzu’s zookeeper phase to know this was just a dominance display but it was different when it was his body and he was trying not to freak out at how the idea did. Not. Bother. Him.)

(What idea, he didn’t dare imagine.)

(Damnit he hadn’t ever wanted to know about that bit of Hollow anatomy.)

There was a kind of purring growl that made it go still, stiller than just being limp, telling it that while it was **:safe:**, it wasn’t **:densafe:** and it was time to hunt, not—

A final press, almost a promise of more, and the pressure and the teeth and the heat went away.

Nudging with a horn (Ichigo only felt a sense of pressure along the area) **:packmate:** turned, setting an easy pace for it to follow, just by the tail.

Basically a passenger, Ichigo ‘settled’ back (noting how both of them settled into a quadrupedal stance to run faster), wondering if the speed at which the landscape passed by was as much because of the lack of features and how much was because of a speed increase. He could feel Zangetsu’s approval (something that made his hollow form preen), and he sent back a questioning sense, of what the plan might be.

He could feel the eye roll at the stupidity of the question, since they usually did better winging it. Outside, the hollow form whined in acknowledgement of the rebuke.

The scent of and feel of something strong had its tail twitching in interest, **:packmate:** changing course to head towards it.

Once the maybe-prey was in sight, they paused. Ichigo thought it looked like a cross between a spider and a sea anemone, and its movements were jerky, like maybe it wasn’t in full control of itself. Ichigo ‘turned’ to Zangetsu, basically asking if souls in a hollow can fight for control.

He got back a hum of consideration and a ‘maybe’.

It huddled up close to **:packmate:**, almost shoving itself behind and on top of **:packmate:**. It didn’t like the look of maybe-prey. Sure it was strong, but what if whatever was wrong with it got them? **:Packmate:** shifted, and the posture change with the low growl made it feel better. They were too strong to be affected by whatever affected **:prey:**.

With a stern growl to stay put, **:packmate:** darted forward. The voice of **:prey:** was wrong, like it was two **:prey:** in one body. (Ichigo discovered to his dismay that with as far deep into its instincts as his hollow form was, he couldn’t understand what was being said, because his hollow form couldn’t understand human words at present.)

His hollow form edged closer, hunkering down low as **:packmate:** started attacking weird :prey:. It couldn’t understand how **:prey:** could be so strong yet be so easily attacked. How had nothing else gotten to :prey: before them? It scanned the area, feeling nothing but the mouthfuls it had felt the whole time, that felt smaller as time passed. But it kept a wary eye to the surroundings, the other eye on **:packmate:** and **:prey:**. A growl had its attention snapping to **:packmate:**, and as **:packmate:** concentrated power between the tips of its horns, it understand that it was to do the same.

Inside, Ichigo couldn’t help his ‘shiver’ as his own cero formed, his hollow form firing with a roar. Something was keeping the spider/sea anemone/tentacle hollow from regenerating, and so it lacked enough limbs to avoid the two ceros. Smoking, it slumped to the ground. Ichigo thought it maybe be barely alive as his hollow form practically hopped from foot to foot, waiting for **:packmate:** to give the okay to approach.

Once the growl to approach came, it blurred to **:prey:**, startling itself for a moment, to **:packmate’s:** amusement. It looked to **:packmate:**, wondering if it was alright to start eating. It was **:packmate’s:** kill, enough though the **:emptyhungry:** inside made it harder and harder to care about that.

(Ichigo just had to marvel at how anyone could claw out of that slippery pit of **:emptyhungry:**.)

A bemused growl, and **:packmate:** began one of the torn-off limbs as it dug into the belly, **:prey:** making a feeble moan. The moaning was…annoying (?), so it paused to claw through what it thought was the throat.

(Ichigo will freely admit that the enjoyment of the meal he was getting from his hollow form was freaking him out, not because it bothered him, but because he was enjoying it as well.)

Too soon, **:prey:** was gone save for bones and blood on its claws and face. It felt overly full despite the hint of **:emptyhungry:**, but it still licked blood from its claws as **:packmate:** cleaned the blood from its face(mask). It could feel sleep tugging at it, but it wasn’t **:safe:** so close to the remains of the kill.

**:Packmate:** came up closer, not growling a warning as it leaned on it, purring as familiar scent and reiatsu surrounded it.

‘Inside’, Zangetsu told Ichigo that he was taking them back, so to start coming back up. The eyes of the hollow form were closed, and it only gave a sleepy growl as Ichigo basically ‘herded’ it back. ‘Seeing’ it curl up to sleep and digest, Ichigo opened his eyes to the floor of Urahara’s lair. He was eagle spread on his stomach, with the bony remains of his hollow form around him. Zangetsu was sitting next to him. _**“How do you feel?”**_ He asked, yellow eyes contemplative.

“Sore in places I didn’t know existed.” Ichigo said out loud._ I’m a little bothered by how much I, as myself, enjoyed it._ He answered in his head, doing his best not to think about his reaction to the dominance display.

And he _had_; eating his first hollow had made something in his head and his soul settle. Something he hadn’t noticed until it had settled. He didn’t feel vigilant for a fight or vaguely empty. _**“Well Hat’n’Clogs healing spring should help. I’ll see you inside.”**_ Zangetsu said as he returned to the Inner World, ignoring the silent, additional, answer. Ichigo groaned as he forced himself up on his hands and knees to make the short crawl to the healing hot spring.

Somehow remembering to get the slowly repairing remains of his shihakushou off, Ichigo lazily rolled in, settling on the edge in a way where he wouldn’t drown. Closing his eyes, he slid into his Inner World.

* * *

Zangetsu was waiting. _**“Have fun?”**_ He asked with a knowing smirk.

“Yes. I’ll admit to it. Good idea.” Ichigo conceded. “Just wondering how hungry I’ll be once I’ve worked through this meal.”

_**“First, we need to make sure that guy doesn’t cause trouble. Mostly for you, since you had the larger portion.”**_ Zangetsu informed him, leading the way to the next building and down to the doors. _**“We can get into what you just ate through here, then kill anything still twitching.”**_ Pulling the door up, he led the jump into the blackness below.

* * *

Landing, there were only two figures moving in any major fashion (even if Zangetsu and Ichigo made a point to stab everything just to be sure).

One figure was the Hollow, glaring at the other figure, who…”The hell?” Ichigo said.

It was a Shinigami, holding some kind of trident with a lieutenant’s armband on his arm.

An armband with the kanji for ‘thirteen’ and the image of a snowdrop. Taking in the features, Ichigo couldn’t avoid noticing the resemblance to himself.

And the large amount of injuries.

* * *

Shiba Kaien glared at Metastacia, forcing himself not to sway. Finally, he’d managed to inhibit it enough to get itself eaten by another Hollow. It hadn’t left Hueco Mundo since it reformed there, so getting it eaten was the best Kaien could do. Now he was trying to hurry up and kill it before the Hollow that had eaten them digested them.

They—it, damnit keep it straight Kaien—had been attacked by a lizard-looking humanoid type of Hollow, who before firing a finishing cero had signaled to its partner to join in. The partner looked similar, and acted kind of submissively. The attacking Hollow had even let the partner eat the main body of Metastacia, eating the limbs it had torn off instead. Granted, he knew Hollows were perfectly capable of forming partnerships and packs, but those two were the weirdest ones he’d seen, for a reason he couldn’t put his finger on.

“Getsuga Tenshou!”

Kaien just stared as a familiar technique engulfed Metastacia, leaving practically no trace behind. “Oh that is SO not fair.” He complained as a pair of figures jogged over. “I’ve been trying to kill it for…well I don’t know how long but probably at least a decade and you just—“ Waving his hand, he had to sit down as a wave of dizziness hit, Nejibana slipping from his hand and leaving her sword-form, doing her best to hold him up when she felt just as bad. He knew he should just be glad Metastacia was dead but damnit they didn’t have to make it look that _EASY_.

The pair of figures looked like they might be Shiba, except the one was completely white, hair, skin and all, save for yellow eyes and touches of black. The other had bright orange hair, wearing a shihakushou and carrying what could politely be called a butcher’s knife. “How do you know Uncle Isshin’s technique anyway?” He asked as the orange one began looking him over, Nejibana doing her protective glaring routine. “Did he finally find a woman in Soul Society who could tolerate him?”

“I can’t believe it.” The orange one said in disbelief. “Out of all the possible Hollows in Hueco Mundo, and we encounter that one.”

_**“I’m firmly blaming you and your weirdness.”**_ The white one said. _**“Let’s haul him out for the explanations before he passes out.”**_

“Why is it always my weirdness? You’re my zanpakutou; that makes it your weirdness by default.” The orange one retorted, going the expedient route and picking Kaien up in a fireman’s carry.

Nejibana kept up her glare at the pair even as she followed, knowing she wasn’t strong enough to carry her wielder herself and not having the power to risk attacking them.

“Zanpakutou? Hollows can’t have zanpakutou.” Kaien protested, swallowing hard as the blur of shunpo made him dizzy.

_**“King’s soul is really weird.”**_ The apparent zanpakutou spirit ‘explained’ as they entered a city on its side, except it wasn’t much of an explanation at all.

“Let’s just start with introductions, yeah?” The orange one set him down, crouching down to further examine his wounds. “I’m Kurosaki Ichigo, that’s Zangetsu—“ The white one gave a little wave, “—and this is Zangetsu-Ossan.” An older man in black joined them.

“You’ve got two zanpakutou spirits? Like Ukitake-taichou and Kyoraku-taichou?” Kaien asked, doing a double take when he was offered a water flask. “How…?”

“My Inner World, my rules.” Ichigo shrugged. “And as for Goat Face, since he’s been in the Living World for twenty years, where he met and married Mom, he still hasn’t met a woman in Soul Society who can tolerate him.”

Kaien choked on his water. “How’d that happen? And last I checked, it was definitely a Hollow that ate tentacle-ass and me…”

“It’s complicated.” The other three chorused. “Let me double check that I don’t drown…” Ichigo said, vanishing briefly. “As for Dad ending up in the world of the Living, it started…”

* * *

Kaien’s head was spinning when Ichigo and his zanpakutou/Hollow/Quincy spirits stopped talking, and not from blood loss. “Holy shit…I thought Aizen had something to do with Urahara-taichou’s and the others convictions, but Metastacia as well?” He shook his head, eating on the rice balls Ichigo had pictured and that was a separate thing as well. Doing that shouldn’t be possible! And with how he felt his reiryoku replenishing, the kid was giving him reiryoku! “Not to mention the time travel…”

Nejibana nodded her head in agreement. “But with Urahara-taichou involved, more plausible.” She conceded, not quite willing to speak to others, no matter how open the Zangetsu pair were being.

“I know Rukia fought one of Aizen’s Espada who had eaten Metastacia and was using your face and zanpakutou, but we had no way of knowing when that happened.” Ichigo said frankly. “Us coming across you was random chance.”

_**“Also called the Kurosaki Effect.”** _Zangetsu (the white one) corrected, lounging on the building.

“…why were you two Hollows in Hueco Mundo anyway?” Kaien asked.

_**“We’re working up to a more stable mix of Shinigami and Hollow power than the Visored use, or just me taking control. The point was to get used to the instincts then work up to being in control of the instincts; that was a field trip. And make the Hollow part stronger, hopefully. AND—“** _He turned to Zangetsu-Ossan. _**“You owe me; I told you he’d turn into a Gillian class!”**_ He gloated to Zangetsu-Ossan, who, rolling his eyes, handed over a jug of sake.

“WHAT?!” Ichigo yelled, grabbing Zangetsu before he could run off with his prize.

_**“You’re a lot smaller than most Gillians, but your power’s already more condensed then theirs is.”**_ The white spirit explained. **_“It’s just by the skin of your teeth, but still a Gillian.”_**

“…I should tell Urahara-san about this, at least. No offense to either of you, but my head and soul’s already crowded with just the pieces that are mine.” Ichigo apologized (!) to Kaien and Nejibana, deciding to just Not Think about how he apparently turned into a Gillian class Menos Grande.

Which, granted, was what Kaien and Nejibana were doing.

Kaien shook his head. “I’ve trying to get Metastacia killed for thirty years, figuring it would be better to get it eaten by another Hollow, since it hasn’t left Hueco Mundo since it reformed there after I died. I’d like to have my body and soul to myself and Nejibana as well.” Mostly healed up from eating the food created from Ichigo’s reiryoku, Kaien leaned on Nejibana, yawning.

“While you’re here feel free to make up your own little corner for yourselves. Hopefully Urahara-san will have ideas, but when I tell him, I’m gonna try ‘pulling’ you out like a zanpakutou manifestation, so try to stay awake for now.” Ichigo said before he left.

Once he did, Kaien and Nejibana jumped as the sideways city shifted. The portion they were on was still a building, but the rest had shifted to a forest. “This should not be possible…” Kaien marveled.

**“Ichigo decided that, if use is the same as possession, and possession is nine tenths of the law, we should be able to adjust this world to our liking, since we spend far more time here then he does.”** Zangetsu-Ossan (who’d said that they could just call him Ossan) explained. **“It still seems to revert to ‘default’ whenever he is here.”**

_**“And trust me, a city where only the sky changes is really boring.”**_ White Zangetsu told them. _**“Especially when it rains. Nothing’s below being rained on in a world of just you.”** _On that note, he blurred away in what sound betrayed as sonido.

**“The two of us existing at the same time is something new. Before, whichever one of us was the dominant influence on Ichigo’s power would be the one he encountered.”** Ossan explained. **“But after all that’s happened, would have happened…”** With a slight shrug, he also departed.

* * *

“What did you just say?” Urahara asked, not quite sure he had hear that correctly.

With a sigh, Ichigo closed his eyes and focused on Kaien, basically ‘gesturing’ to him to come out. “Whoa! Now that was weird.” Kaien focused on Urahara. “Ichigo was right, you do look shady with that hat on.”

Urahara slowly blinked, even as he fell to one side. “…did he just…?” Ichigo couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“I think so. And he’s Onmitsukido; I didn’t think anything could make those guys faint.” Kaien confirmed, crouching down to poke the man. “Hey, I can interact with stuff.”

“…Kurosaki-kun…”

“Yeah?” Ichigo asked.

“Please stop breaking the rules of reality. That’s meant to be my job.” Urahara said as he sat up.

“So do you have any ideas? I mean, him and Nejibana are nice, but I’ve got enough voices in my head with just my own bits, nevermind how they’d like a body to themselves after three decades.” Ichigo asked.

Urahara waved a distracted hand, other hand typing faster than the regular person could with both hands. “…I’m gonna go back and sleep.” Kaien finally said, when it became clear that if Urahara had any ideas at present, he wasn’t sharing. “Nejibana and I both need the rest, even with your donation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...(horned halo)...no regrets...
> 
> Vaguely influenced by the dead story 'The World in Black and White' by Kyrial Halcoryn (fanfiction.net), where a Vasto Lorde Ichigo does much the same thing. But for real, this is Ichigo; why wouldn't he stumble across Metastacia?


	9. Chapter 9

Rukia did her best not to groan as Ichigo ignored her pleading look, just giving her a wave as Inoue-san and Arisawa(-san) ushered her from the classroom. “Don’t worry; we’ll give you back in one piece.” Arisawa-san said, but her smile had a few more teeth than it should have had.

“Tatsuki-chan, be nice.” Inoue-san chided. “I want to thank you for helping with Sora-nii, and I’m sure that you could enjoy some real girl time.”

“I…guess?” Rukia questioned. “I’ve never spent a lot of time with other girls. My friends have always been guys. I mean, I get along with the other women in the Shinigami Women’s Association, but it would be a stretch to call them friends.”

“Do I sense a fellow tomboy?” Arisawa-san asked.

“Like the Living World, Soul Society has its slums. Saying the kids were delinquents and the adults criminals would be putting it nicely. The kids who tend to survive are the ones with other kids to run with, if they aren’t caught and sold. So…not really a tomboy.” Rukia said. “Soul Society is a couple centuries behind the Living World, socially, and after I was adopted into the Kuchiki clan, I haven’t been as free to just…”

“Have regular friends and not wonder if they want something?” Inoue-san.

“I guess. Nii-sama is rather intimidating, and since the Kuchiki are nobles, strictly speaking a commoner would have to at least be a lieutenant to interact with me socially.” Rukia was starting to relax.

“That sounds like it sucks.” Arisawa-san remarked. “Aren’t there any women in the clan you could talk to?”

Rukia shook her head. “The cousins I’ve met haven’t been inclined to be friendly, and Nii-sama’s wife, Hisana-nee-sama, died before I had a chance to meet her. I was adopted because I resemble her, so she might have been my sister by blood.”

“He sounds really nice.” Inoue-san commented.

“…more along the lines of ‘kind’, not ‘nice’.” Rukia corrected her as they arrived at some kind of restaurant.

Inoue-san stayed standing as Rukia and Arisawa-san sat down. “I’ll go put our order in. Is there anything particular you want Kuchiki-san?” Inoue-san asked.

“Uhh…not really. I’m not picky.” Rukia answered. “Maybe just whatever Arisawa-san gets?”

“Right!”

Arisawa-san watched Inoue-san go to the front before she turned back to Rukia. “Do you know if there’s a way for a regular human to develop spirit power?” She asked quietly. “I’ve been watching Ichigo pull away from me since his mom died, and I do not want to watch him pull away completely.”

Rukia blinked, shocked. What Arisawa had just said was along the lines of what she had cried during their…brawl (Renji called it a catfight) that will never be. Closing her eyes, she considered Arisawa’s reiatsu. “…you’re on the way to developing some power, but I’m not sure how a regular human can develop spirit power beyond continued exposure to Ichigo.” She admitted. “Ichigo’s control is appalling, and his growth rate is kind of scary.”

“Scary how?” Arisawa asked.

“Even before I had to transfer my power to him so we wouldn’t all be eaten, he was powerful enough to ‘blanket’ his immediate area—his room, in this case—with his reiatsu, Spiritual Pressure, basically rendering me blind to the reiatsu of other beings. And he only seems to be getting stronger each day. As far as I know, continued exposure to his reiatsu, especially when he’s outside of his body, should be enough to trigger the ability to see Pl-ghosts and Hollows. When a spirit being is powerful enough, fully containing their reiatsu can be difficult, especially in a fight. The highest ranked officers in Soul Society must have limiters applied before entering the Living World, so they don’t cause living people to develop powers.” Rukia drummed her fingers on the table, knowing that what she’d said wasn’t a real answer. “Shinigami…we don’t think about time the way mortals do. We can be killed and fall ill, but so long as the will is there, living thousands of years is not impossible.”

“So Ichigo’s learning at a freakish speed from your perspective.” Arisawa stated. “Not that surprising if you know anything about him.”

“So I’ve been learning. I think the truly scary part for me is I’m not sure he’s even trying hard when he fights.” Rukia admitted.

“Yep, you definitely haven’t seen him when the local gangs go after him.” Arisawa noted flatly. “He only looks like he’s trying when he’s outnumbered ten to one.”  
Inoue-san returned then. “It’ll be a few minutes still. So does Soul Society have robots?”

“…those are those automated human-shaped metal things, right?”

Tatsuki stayed quiet most of the meal, letting Orihime fill the quiet with her questions about Soul Society. Mainly because Tatsuki was still trying to decide in her head if she wanted to ask again if there was a faster way to develop spirit power strong enough to be useful. She still noticed how Kuchiki was oddly evasive on some things, and damn near lying on others. _She seems surprised to have to explain some things…and it feels like she wants to call Orihime something else…_

“Thank you so much for the meal!” Kuchiki gushed to Orihime when they departed. “I’ll need to see about getting some money converted so I can return the favor!”

“So there’s a store or something for Shinigami on this side?” Tatsuki asked.

“In a way…” Kuchiki hedged. “In Mitsumiya, there’s a shop called Urahara Shouten. The owner, Urahara, is a shady bastard, but he’s a useful shady bastard.”

“Shady how?” Orihime blinked.

“Technically speaking, he was exiled a hundred years ago for illegal experiments into forbidden knowledge. On a practical level, most of the older captains still seem to trust him. My own captain, Ukitake-taichou, flat out told me that if I needed any help, emergency or otherwise, while I was here, Urahara was the person to go to. And he does have an official license to sell Seireitei products, so…” Kuchiki shrugged. “The rumor I heard is that he had once been a part of the Onmitsukido, the Stealth Force, and so he’s too dangerous for them to even try assassinating him.”

“’Tagged him RED’, huh?” Tatsuki commented.

“I guess…whatever that means.” Kuchiki agreed.

“Oh that one comic! ‘Retired Extremely Dangerous.’” Orihime chimed.

“Minus the ‘retired’ part.” Kuchiki corrected, as they reached the point where Kuchiki would need to split off to return to the Kurosaki Clinic. “Thank you again, and see you tomorrow!” She said with a wave, and the perky school girl tone in her voice didn’t seemed faked that time.

“See you tomorrow!” Orihime and Tatsuki returned as they split up. “I think Kuchiki-san has been a very lonely person until meeting Kurosaki-kun.” Orihime said after a couple of minutes. “So have you made up your mind?”

“About what?” Tatsuki asked, not completely sure what Orihime meant.

“About finding a way to fight at Kurosaki-kun’s side.” A quirk of their route meant they could see the river Kurosaki Masaki had died besides. “Because to some degree, you’re jealous of Kuchiki-san for being able to help Kurosaki-kun where you haven’t been able to reach him. Because you still see the boy he had been, and want to help him no matter how much he pushes you away.” Orihime elaborated with a soft smile. “I think that even if he protests to high heaven about you following him into danger, he’ll still be glad to have you.”

“Oh no you don’t. You’re going to be right there beside me once I find a way.” Tatsuki said sternly, shaking a finger in Orihime’s face. “If only to ogle Ichigo’s butt as we follow him into whatever crazy trouble he gets himself into.”

Orihime turned bright red. “N-N-No I w-w-w-w-“ Tatsuki had to keep a firm grip on her shoulder to keep her upright and away from signs and telephone poles until they reached her door. “I’m teasing, alright? But if he breaks your heart, I’m breaking him.”

“Tatsuki-chan~!” Orihime whined, managing to unlock her door and entering her apartment without a disaster.

Now alone, Tatsuki sighed as she started the walk home for lack of other ideas or amusements. “Jou-chan.”

Tatsuki paused, scanning the street. She was completely alone, so where… “Up here.”

She zeroed in on the only other living thing on the street; a black cat, lounging on an awning. “Did Orihime slip me some of her weirdo combo? Cuz there’s no way the cat is talking to me.” Tatsuki said out loud.

“So talking cats are out while ghosts are in?” The cat was DEFINITELY speaking, standing up and stretching. “I heard you ask the Kuchiki girl if there was a way to gain spirit power of your own.”

“So?” Tatsuki demanded defensively. Just because it was empty now, didn’t mean the street would stay empty, and she didn’t want to explain why she was apparently talking to a cat.

Plus she hadn’t seen a cat, black or otherwise, outside the restaurant.

“I could teach you, and make sure Kis-Urahara doesn’t traumatize you too much in the process.” The cat leapt down to the street, sitting down in front of Tatsuki.

“What’s in it for you?” Tatsuki questioned. “Because if this is where you say I need to kill Hollows in the name of the moon I am turning around and walking away.”

The cat actually looked confused, weirding Tatsuki out, since she shouldn’t be able to see human emotions on a cat. “Why in the Soul King’s name would anyone kill Hollows in the name of the moon?”

“There has to be a law against this, if a talking cat doesn’t know about Sailor Moon…” Shaking her head, Tatsuki took a deep breath. “I’ll never be able to catch up to Ichigo if I don’t take some risks. So I’m in.”

The cat smirked. “Good.”

Smoke suddenly surrounded the cat, and the sight that greeted Tatsuki when it cleared had her pulling off her uniform jacket and tossing it in the necessary (general) direction. For all the good it did. “HAVEN’T YOU HEARD OF PUBLIC DECENCY LAWS?!?!?!”

The woman (!) the cat had turned into just laughed, not bothering to try and put on the jacket. While she still needed to get more of the story out of Kisuke, the girl looked and acted like she’d be as entertaining to train as Sui Feng and Byakuya-bou.

* * *

Rukia smiled to herself as she walked back to the clinic. The meal had reminded her of meals with other female officers, after her promotion. Sure, she knew Arisawa picked out her evasions and near lies, but part of the plans discussed as she prepared to come back had involved Arisawa learning more. For Orihime-chan’s sake, as well as Ichigo’s and Arisawa’s. “Urahara never did say if how he restored Ichigo’s powers after I was taken back to Seireitei would work on a regular human, without Ichigo’s heritage…” She pondered out loud. “She specializes in hand to hand, so maybe Yoruichi-sama…?”

Shrugging slightly to herself, she encountered Ichigo, coming from the direction of Urahara’s. “Have fun?” He asked with a smirk.

“Yes. Yes I did, even with Arisawa’s near obvious suspicion.” She replied, the pair falling into step together.

“I’m kinda surprised that Tatsuki never developed powers like Inoue and Chad did.” He admitted. “I would’ve placed money on Tatsuki developing powers before Inoue. That guy had spouted some bullshit about the magic rock being the reason for it, but did anyone ever look for answers about that?” He asked.

“Not that I know of. Frankly, I think Urahara was too distracted with the time machine and developing a way to restore your power to care about that.” She explained, turning over her sense of Ichigo’s reiatsu in her head.

There was some new bit she hadn’t noticed before, but also… “You feel…calmer.” She finally said. “Like…you’re at ease with yourself.”

He paused. “Zan had an idea, about using Hollow powers without summoning the mask or him taking over or me going berserk. So…field trip to Hueco Mundo, so I could experience the Hollow instincts outside of a life or death things.”

“To hunt.” She added. That fit with the new bit to his reiatsu. “No wonder you feel calmer. It’s not like anyone or anything you’d fight here would be strong enough.”

“Zan’s hoping we both reach Vasto Lorde, but how can you tell when that happens? It’s not like either of us turn into that Miyasaki-type one.” He questioned.

“Somehow Urahara squeezed out time to help Nel stay in her adult form, but what level Hollow she was before becoming an arrancar never came up.” Rukia said. “Several other Espada and fraccion survived, but while interaction wasn’t banned, it wasn’t encouraged either. All I know about Vasto Lorde are that you could count the number in existence on both hands.”

“Ulquiorra definitely had been one; he had a second release.” Ichigo revealed. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if Nel was one too.”

Rukia’s eyes widened. “You better remember to let Urahara know that; how is that possible, and how come none of the others showed one?”

Ichigo just shrugged. “I suppose we’ll be going to Hueco Mundo every few days.”

Ichigo detoured from the turn to the clinic and kept walking, Rukia tagging along in a mix of habit and curiosity. “…I thought you’d be freaking out. I know the part of me that wasn’t excited the minute he brought it up was.” He finally said.

He was right. She should be saying something; if not about purposely making his Hollow powers stronger, then at least about the danger of wandering Hueco Mundo with nothing but instincts and his zanpakutou spirit.

“I’m not because it’s you.” She said. “I don’t know if Zangetsu heard, but those of us who’d been closest to you would debate on what your hybrid nature meant, both in terms of powers…and what sort of…’special needs’…or ‘dietary concerns’ you might have had. With how rare hybrids are…”

He zoned out briefly, asking his spirits. “…they remember, but it hadn’t been something they thought really applied at the time.” He finally said. “Me being a hybrid wasn’t something they thought would impact much. Even when…it was only afterwards, when everything…”

They paused, and Rukia nudged him into a nook between buildings that was a great place to be unseen. Rukia hadn’t asked about whatever memories he’d gained from his fractured future self yet, and she never intended to. Unless he brought them up. “The only thing that came to mind, when he could focus enough for that, was that one way to quarter a person, where each limb is tied to a horse and each horse is forced in a different direction. One of them had to pretty much wrap around m-him to make the pain be anything close to manageable, while the other grabbed the pieces they could. I…”

Ichigo wasn’t looking at Rukia, and she wasn’t sure he was seeing anything as he stared at the wall. “So they made the jump to the pass holding onto ‘me’…my consciousness, so I wouldn’t be left alone with the pain as my Inner World fell apart. Ossan…he had a feeling that jumping to the pass with what they’d gathered would lead to a chance to save me, all of me, but he didn’t know how or why…”

He leaned his head on the wall opposite him, almost pinning her to the wall and letting her hug onto him without bringing attention to the action. She didn’t point out how he’d slipped into first person as he talked about his old future self. “I’m not sorry; he wasn’t sorry, and I’d do it all over again if that was the only option open, even with…”

A hand cradled her head, making the hug go both ways. “Even if he doesn’t die where we want him to, keeping THAT from him is the more important goal. Along with stealing his version.”

It suddenly hit it that he hadn’t had the time she and the other had had to process the ‘Winter War’, as everyone insisted on calling it in the paperwork. Everything happened so fast, and from what he’d said so far, whatever he remembered from the pass wasn’t as clear, or dependent on Zangtesu.

He was still there, in the ruins of the fake Karakura with the creature Aizen had become before him, without truly knowing how things turned out. While she acknowledged the usefulness of those events being so prominent for him, she hated how they were dragging this child back into a conflict from which he had already been a victim of, all to turn him loose against another monster because he was damn near the most radical thing to hit Soul Society since the Divisions were united by force. “Remind me to take you drinking when this is over.” She said after some minutes, when they both felt capable of pulling back and pretending to be okay.

“Underage.”

“Seireitei has no drinking laws.”

Just as the clinic was in sight she added one last thing. “I’ll fill in some details for you.”

With a nod, he opened the door and grabbed Isshin, tossing him into the wall before he could properly attack.

* * *

Kisuke sighed as he finished the sword he (would have) developed to restore Kurosaki-kun’s power. After absorbing the memories and emotions of his future self (and sobered up), he hadn’t been able to let himself rest until he finished that. With the sword and the shield Yuzu-chan had created to hypothetically contain Kurosaki-kun’s soul to his body, he was prepared if events led to that outcome again.

Despite what everyone, from Kuchiki-chan to Isshin to Kurosaki-kun himself, hoped otherwise. Both the Zangetsu spirits had visited, both to take their frustrations out on him and to convey that the Final Getsuga Tenshou would never be used again. Instead, they would train him in the other parts of his power.

The Hollow and Quincy parts. Thinking of that led to the threat after Aizen, and drew his thoughts to the Vizored.

Half a second every year.

That was the rate at which Shinji and the others had extended their time limits on their masks. He could only hope that whatever Kurosaki-kun and the White Zangetsu manage to learn in their trips to Hueco Mundo would be applicable to the others.

* * *

Omake (?)

Scheduling Troubles at the Shouten

Or

Urahara Did Not Sign Up For This

Ichigo couldn’t depart or return from Hueco Mundo or do any Hollow training around Isshin.

Rukia couldn’t leave her gigai if Tatsuki was present.

Rukia likely could not practice her Bankai if Isshin was present and actively using Engetsu.

Tatsuki could not be present when Ichigo was working on Quincy techniques, or when the twins were practicing.

None of the Visored should make an appearance, both to preserve some illusion of previous events and so Rukia could have plausible deniability.

“Probably should not have Ichigo around when Arisawa-chan’s training. He has such strange ideas about his friends in danger…” Kisuke added, glaring at the paper.

He thought he’d been smart, using pencil, until, as he realized more and more limitations, he’d done enough erasing to rip the paper. Grabbing a fresh sheet, he began copying what he’d decided on, only to realize two more things.

Isshin cannot train around Tatsuki.

Ichigo can’t bring out Kaien around other people…initially. Once he was more certain of a method he’d have to bring in Tessai as extra hands and eyes to double-check, but for now both of them wanted to keep this unusual occurrence to the three of them.

Ichigo (and Kaien) didn’t want to get Rukia’s and Isshin’s hopes up if the only option turned out to be attempting Konsou in his Inner World.

Kisuke didn’t want Aizen learning that one of the more powerful pieces he had gotten rid of was back in play. “I really should analyze the conjunction of the Shiba Effect with the Kurosaki Effect Ryuuken mentioned about Masaki-san…I don’t recall her being unusual, but everything’s normal compared to the Shiba…” Kisuke reminded himself. “Oh Tessai~!”

“No.” Tessai said flatly, not even looking up from where he was dealing with the paperwork relating to both sides of the shop. “It’s not my problem you can’t handle scheduling.”

Kisuke’s head hit the table, wondering if he’d forgotten anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was shorter, then I remembered that Rukia should technically have a problem with Ichigo eating Hollows, even if only by virtue of being a Shinigami. Omake (?) actually happen, but I don't have a place for them in the story flow. 
> 
> Stories I'm Looking For:  
Threesome between Ichigo, Orihime, and Hollow Ichigo/Zangetsu
> 
> Ideas I'm Desperately Trying Not To Write:  
-The Hogyoku decides to switch masters because 1-Aizen abandoned Kyoka Suigetsu and 2-the Urahara part remembers how tasty his Reiatsu was, because when Urahara took it from its reiatsu-void hiding spot and put it in Rukia, he forgot to factor in Mr. No One's Taught Me Control. But I fail at writing crack.  
-Ichigo really should've been powerful enough to have dreamed of Zangetsu (either one or both of them) for years. Mostly for chibi!Ichigo and chibi!HollowIchigo/Zangetsu. The 'imaginary' friend he decided to forget about after Masaki died, or that Isshin and Urahara bond up more when they realized he was talking to the Hollow. 
> 
> No, this is not where you encourage me to write them! I'm trying not to be that author who starts stuff and never finishes even more than I already am! So if anyone knows of a story along those lines, please post the link!


	10. Chapter 10

In the quiet darkness of Ichigo’s closet, Rukia carefully removed the other orb she’d carried back in her soul. Inside were her official orders from Kyoraku-soutaichou, her fukutaichou badge, a precious handful of photos, and rosary beads tangled with a religious medal.

Carefully, she untangled the two, remembering the look on Chad’s face when he pressed his abuelo’s Catholic rosary beads into her hand. “This is Ichigo’s miracle.” He’d murmured, low enough for only her to hear. “So carry these prayers for success back with you, and enjoy the miracle for all of us.”

Running a thumb over the worn relief on the religious medal, she thought back to the day she first learned of miracles.

* * *

_Upon reporting for duty, Ukitake-taichou had Sentarou-san and Kiyone-san march her to the Senkaimon, saying that her only duty was to be in Karakura, with Ichigo and the others. Until he died, his soul finished falling apart, or Urahara came up with something._

_She hadn’t recognized where she’d landed in Karakura, but it was in front of a building with a Western cross on it, and she felt Chad’s reiatsu inside. Deciding to meet up with him and then go to the Kurosaki clinic, she slipped through the door._

_There was a hush as she entered, collection boxes of some kind flanking the door exiting the entry hall, and a basin of water to the right. Something about the water made her take multiple looks as she passed it, entering the main area._

_There were rows upon rows of wooden benches with backs, on either side of a center aisle leading from the door up to some kind of altar. She spotted Chad to one side, kneeling in front of rows of candles, some lit, with something that seemed like rosary beads in his heads. It looked like he was praying, so she left him to his prayers, cautiously walking up one of the side aisles._

_After a few rows, there was some kind of scene on the wall. A group of people, carrying a body into a tomb of some kind. What kind of shrine has a scene like this in it?_

_“It makes more sense if you start from the other side, senorita.”_

_Rukia covered her mouth to contain her yelp as she jumped. Whirling around, she saw an elderly man, heavily tanned, wearing clothes that, when she reflected on his appearance later, were totally out of keeping with the weather. In his mouth to one side was something she thought was a Western ‘cigar’. “This is the last Station. The first one is on the other wall, but it’s the wrong season for them.” He continued, his voice warm and grandfatherly in a way she’d never personally experienced._

_His words had a strange accent to them, but she ignored that as she asked, “’Station’? What kind of shrine is this?”_

_“Not a shrine, per se, but a church. You have heard of Christianity?” Rukia nodded. There had one unseated member of the Thirteenth Division, back when she started, who had always said what he called a ‘Christian’ prayer at meals, and did his best to be off-duty on the ‘Sabbath’, every week if she remembered right. He was killed by a Hollow a year after she started, and she remembered some members saying that ‘his god’ hadn’t protected him very well. “This is a Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest sect of Christianity still practiced today.” He added._

_“This is the first time I’ve heard of it. Am I not allowed in?” She asked. It wasn’t like anyone could have stopped her entry, but the thought of invading a sacred place left her uneasy._

_The man smiled. “No matter what men say, all are welcome in the House of God.” He looked over to where Chad was kneeling. “You are a friend of Yasutora’s, si? He has spoken of a girl like you before.”_

_“Yes. It wasn’t planned, but I was hoping to go with him to visit our friend, once he’s finished.” Rukia replied._

_“The one he is praying for?” He asked. “Yasutora’s prayers have been about him often, but now he comes at least once a day to pray for your friend. Is he near death?”_

_“_ _Worse.” She couldn’t help the tears starting to gather. “His soul—it can’t stay together and there’s nothing that can be done but to wait for the end. The smartest people we know are scrambling, trying to do something to save him, or buy him more time…”_

_The man’s hand felt strangely cold as he touched her shoulder, the cold reaching through her shihakushou. “No wonder he has been calling upon Saint Jude Thaddaeus, patron of desperate situations and lost causes.” He noted._

_“What is a saint?” She asked, turning her face away to wipe away the gathering tears._

_“If I remember right, a saint is almost like a bodhisattva. They are recognized as being close to God, and can be advocates for those on Earth for certain causes. Yasutora is asking Saint Jude Thaddaeus for help, so that his prayers may reach God.”_

_“Ichigo’s done impossible things before, but this is isn’t something anyone can fix. And…” Rukia took a breath. “What kind of God lets this happen? Ichigo, his soul’s falling apart because he used a dangerous technique to stop a monster. How can any God let a person like Ichigo suffer, while the monster he stopped still breathes? Who will still be around, long after everyone involved has faded away?”_

_“If there were easy answers, people would not need churches and shrines and saints. Some would say this is meant as a test, for either Ichigo-san or those around him. Some would say that perhaps it is simply his fate, to suffer in such a way. Still others might argue that, since God can See all of history at once, there is far too much happening for him to help everyone.” The man smiled wryly. “Then, there are those who say that God doesn’t not exist, and it is up to the people on Earth to make their own miracles.” He shrugged. “No one knows, and those who do cannot tell those who do not.”_

_Going to his chest, he pulled a chain over his head, with a medallion of some kind on it. “I had thought this was meant for Yasutora, but perhaps you are in greater need.” _

_Picking up her hand, he pressed it in her palm, the metal warm despite the chill of his hands. “It is impossible to say what will happen, in the future to come, but may this give you an anchor, to stay the course, no matter how desperate the situation or how lost the cause may seem.”_

_“I-I can’t accept this, not if you want—“_

_“Kuchiki.”_

_Turning around, Rukia saw Chad standing there, brow furrowed. “Was someone just here?” He asked._

_Opening her mouth to reply, she looked back to where the elderly man had been standing…_

_…only to see no one. “He was JUST here!” She exclaimed quietly, whipping her head around to examine the room. “It-it was an older man with a strange accent and he had this—cigar?”_

_Chad’s nostrils flared as he stepped forward to stand next to her. “This smells like Abuelo’s cigars did.” His voice was wistful. “My grandfather,” He added when he saw her confusion. “After my parents died, I went to live with him in Mexico. When he died, I came back to Japan.”_

_Rukia suddenly felt cold inside. “He called you ‘Yasutora’, that you’d talked about me before and that you have been coming every day to pray for Ichigo, to this…saint?”_

_Chad nodded. “The patron saint of desperate situations and lost causes, Saint Jude Thaddaeus.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet. Opening it, he handed her a small photo._

_It was the man she had just been speaking to. “But—he’s dead, I should have felt him and I didn’t see the broken Chain of Fate and if he’s gone to Mexico’s Soul Society how can he have appeared here?” Her eyes widened as she realized something. “I didn’t feel him at all. He just—turned up behind me and there’s no way he could have just walked away and I didn’t hear him—“ Gesturing with her hand, she remembered what happened right before Chad had spoken. “He—gave me this, said that he thought it was meant for you but that I needed it more…”_

_Opening her hand, she just barely heard Chad’s gasp, even in the quiet of the church. Clenching his fist, he seemed startled when he touched it. Picking it up, he checked the back. Engraved on the back was ‘OJdelaR’. “This stands for ‘Oscar Joaquín De la Rosa’. Abuelo. After he died, I looked everywhere for this. I just thought it had gotten lost, in the chaos of his last illness and settling his estate and arranging to come back to Japan. My Abuela, grandmother, gave him this medallion for Saint Jude Thaddaeus, when he went off to fight in Vietnam. She had been convinced the Vietnam War was a hopeless cause, and she wanted to make sure _her_ hopeless cause came back to her safely.”_

_It was the most Rukia could recall hearing Chad speak at once. “You should have it, then.”_

_He slowly shook his head. Setting it down, he picked up her other hand and placed it over the medal, cupping her hands between his. “If I was meant to have it, I would have seen him, or I would have found the medal at his death. So keep it.”_

_“What will you pray for, if Ichigo…” She couldn’t say it._

_“To see Ichigo again. For the impossible to happen.” He said simply._

* * *

She had gone with Chad a couple of times after that, when he went to ‘Mass’, and a few times on her own, finding an appeal to the church’s unique quiet. She never saw Chad’s abuelo again, and thinking about the encounter gave her chills. He hadn’t been a Plus or a Hollow, and the impossibility of his appearance and disappearance…

Rukia could never bring herself to ask about such an event, back in Seireitei. It…just felt too personal, too real, to bring to anyone else’s attention. Chad had said that perhaps Saint Jude Thaddaeus had sent his abuelo to pass on a message, but all Rukia could say for certain was that maybe there was something beyond even the realms of the Soul King and the Zero Squad.

“I’ll carry your prayers for the impossible with me, and make sure this miracle does not get destroyed.” She whispered to the rosary beads. Returning the orb to her soul, she had to wonder what would happen in regards to the items.

There were now two copies of the same set of rosary beads, while the medal had been lost years ago. Had it been pulled forward in time? Taken to some in-between space until Chad or someone he knew needed the kind of reassurance it represented?

With a mental shrug, she laid down from her sitting position. If things followed the same pattern of events, then Chad should be receiving the parakeet with the little boy’s soul inside within the next couple of days. When they had worked on their homework that evening (Rukia doing hers this time around, since she didn’t need to study modern vernacular), Ichigo had said about how he and Zangetsu were going to try and get Chad’s and Inoue-san’s power activated earlier. Zangetsu noted they both had a touch of a Hollow on them, so in theory, more exposure to Hollow energy, especially Ichigo’s Hollow energy.

She had no idea if it would work, and she found himself wishing she’d asked Orihime-chan if she ever learned why she had developed power at all. Naturally, with the time she had left from on her mind, she found herself wondering how things were going. The twins had left just hours after her, and there hadn’t been any major events between her departure and theirs.

Closing her eyes, she swallowed against the stab of homesickness inside. She shouldn’t feel homesick, or timesick. She’d gone back to save Ichigo and make a better future, so it was pointless to miss the time and place she sought to change.

But she did now that the reality had sunk that, yes, this is the past. Orihime-chan was Inoue-san again, sweet and naïve without her kidnapping and Ichigo’s Soul Death.

Arisawa didn’t carry that lump of guilt and anger and helplessness.

Kojima-kun was still here, not having let himself fade away.

She hadn’t saved Kaien-dono’s soul yet.

Ukitake-taichou was lieutenant-less. He was still waiting for Nii-sama to let her be promoted.

Renji had only just reached lieutenant and started serving under Nii-sama. He hadn’t fought and been changed by Ichigo’s resolve, and he hadn’t faced Nii-sama in a battle he knew he probably couldn’t win. He hadn’t whipped out a Bankai her brother never expected a Rukon brat to achieve, still trying to touch the moon even as he neared death.

Nii-sama hadn’t told her about Nee-sama, the starting point for a bonding that was cautious to start, but grew stronger and warmer as she stopped being intimidated by his cold exterior.

Nii-sama hadn’t taken Ichimaru’s sword for her. And if she did things right, he never would. Suddenly the memory crystals she’d brought back for key people seemed worthless. Even if he watches them, sees how Ichigo impacted him, he still won’t be the one to honor Ichigo right after Isshin-taichou, telling the surviving Kurosaki that anything within the power of the Kuchiki to provide would be theirs for the rest of their lives.

He wouldn’t be the one she looked in the eye and informed of her taking the lieutenant exam with or without his approval.

He won’t be the Nii-sama who admitted that he was grateful for the mission she’d been given, since even with the dangers she’d face again in the past he had confidence in her success.

Who said that he could now fight with the knowledge he’d kept his promise to Nee-sama.

She curled up on her side, facing the closet door and Ichigo. Closing her eyes, she let herself mourn what she left behind. Mourn the people would had shared events with her, that she had promised success and miracles to even as they knew they would never learn if she succeeded.

The pillow was wet beneath her head by the time she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genesis (heh): Halloween: what would spook a Shinigami? I figured something along these lines would do it, especially for a younger Shinigami like Rukia. I’m far removed from my Catholic grade school days, and I apologize to everyone I might have offended if I got something wrong. Also I can kind of see Chad and Rukia bonding over comparing religions.
> 
> Rukia's owning up to how everyone close to her will never go through the same events with her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sex at the start of the chapter. Doesn't matter if you skip it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is the same story. I remember those comments from the last time I did the following.

The claws running over his chest were drawing blood, and he was of mixed feelings about this. One buried (human) part was trying to not freak out over how he enjoyed the stinging hurt. Part of him was pleased, to have a mate strong enough to draw blood, but another part worried that his mate would think it had been too easy. His tail thrashed against **_:mate:_**, fierce heat pressing against the opening under his tail with nothing between them, but _**:mate:**_ was just sitting there.

As much as he wanted to just push back and take, something told him to keep holding out, and it wasn’t just the limpness caused by**_ :mate’s:_** teeth on his neck. His claws scoured marks in the rock beneath him as _**:mate’s:**_ claws drifted lower and lower. He felt empty, in a way different from the usual **_:emptyhungry:_** as he lowered his body, turning to lay his head on the rock. **_:Mate’s:_** horns slotted with his, even as the angle change meant _**:mate:**_ could have just sunk in, but he shifted enough for that to not happen.

There was a continual growl, and he realized this growl was his, because **_:mate’s:_ **growl was part purr and smug with a satisfaction that made him want to both preen and claw **_:mate:_** back. Then there was a touch that made him freeze, his hair and tail feeling like they were frozen straight up. Somehow he got even harder as the claw cautiously circled up his cock, the touch enough to feel but not draw blood then it was at the head and *just* teasing the slit and he panted, his growl filling with warning as the emptiness ached to the point of pain and—

He yelled as _**:mate:**_ finally began sinking in, the stretch burning enough to make him claw at the rock again even as he whimpered, trying not to be loud but then there was a shove with enough force to rock him forward as he roared, tail tangling with tail as_** :mate:**_ nuzzled the side of his face. A claw appeared in front of his face, covered with blood and other fluid and he opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out, **_:mate:_** being nice and bringing the claw close enough for him to start to lick clean. His tongue curled around it as he drew it into his mouth, sucking and not caring about the cuts he was opening on his tongue because _**:mate’s:**_ breath was ragged and he started moving, with him distracted enough with his task that the rough slide just made sparks of heat go up his spine.

He scrambled for a handhold in the rock beneath him since he’d already clawed it to stones earlier as **_:mate:_ **thrusted harder and faster, him trying to push back to meet each thrust but it was too fast so he could only try to hang on as claw tips prickled his cock. _**:Mate:** _shifted and now he was hitting something that sent daggers of sensation straight to his cock and he was letting out some kind of yelling growl and **_:mate:_** was feeling bigger and bigger, almost too big as his slit was teased again only the claw was going in a hair more and he bucked up and back—

* * *

Ichigo’s eyes shot open. It was still dark, and he trembled, hovering on the edge and wondering if he should tip over or force himself to stay still until it went away.

Fuck, he couldn’t make himself stay still that long and it only took a shift of his hips, registering the feel of cloth on his dick and it was enough for him to tip over. He bit his fist as he rode it out, conscious of the reiatsu in the house and doing his best to stay quiet. Rukia always slept with the closet door closed, even though this time everyone knew where she was, so he had no idea how soundly she actually slept.

Making himself take several slow, deep breaths, he sat up. Walking as softly as he could, he grabbed fresh underwear and retreated to the bathroom, snagging against the door once it was closed and locked.

_Byakuya will kill me if he ever found out I had an orgasm anywhere in Rukia’s vicinity. Even though she was nowhere in sight in the dream._

His sleep pants were dark enough that he just needed to change his underwear. As he did so, he carefully felt towards the mental image he’d created of his hollow form, doing his best to not let any power out and worry everyone.

…and he had the impression it had pretty much ‘sleep-rutted’ or something, since it seemed to just shift position and fall deeper into sleep. With a near-visible sense of sexual satisfaction.

He sighed as he rinsed the stain, wringing the excess water before hiding the underwear under one of his shirts. While he was striving towards acceptance of his sisters technically being thirteen and not eleven, he really, REALLY didn’t want to listen to his father weep to the Poster about his ‘manliness’.

The tips to ‘solo satisfaction and enjoyment’ had been far beyond enough. A glance at the clock as he climbed back into bed showed it to be just past three AM, so he had time to hunt down Zangetsu and ask some questions. Focusing his thoughts on the spirit, he closed his eyes.

* * *

_Opening his eyes, it appeared to him that rainbows had exploded everywhere, as he stared at the…pile…mass…of pillows and blankets in every conceivable color, save for black. And white, he added mentally when he realized the white lump was Zangetsu, doing a passable impression of a cat. “Oi.” Ichigo said softly, trying to not look like he was hugging himself as he grabbed his elbows._

_The look Zangetsu gave him when he raised his head was pure feline. “**?**” He grumbled, shifting enough to look at Ichigo._

_Ichigo opened his mouth, intending to ask if Zangetsu had raided a rainbow or something, but what came out was, “Why the hell would I dream about my hollow form being fucked by your hollow form?” As much as he wanted to place the blame squarely on the mental representation of his hollow form…_

_He flushed and shifted awkwardly as Zangetsu just stared at him. “**…Yer gonna need to take this from the top.**” He said, looking more awake but with sleep still in his voice. “So get comfy.”_

_Ichigo sank into the pile, grabbing an orange pillow to hug on instead of himself. “**So ya dreamed of the two of us in hollow form fuckin’?**” Zangetsu reiterated, shifting closer._

_Ichigo nodded, still red. “I would’ve sworn I was awake until I actually woke up. Like, it was what my hollow form had wanted you to do when you pinned it, me, us right after we got there only I was the one in control but there was purring and growling and you running your claws on my skin drawing blood which was pleasing and worrying and I thought anal sex needed lube but it definitely wasn’t a problem and your claws wereonmydickbutthatjustfeltinsanelygoodand—“ A small, smiley-face pillow hit his face, cutting off what had turned into a stream of consciousness monologue. He scowled at his zanpakutou, doing his best to ignore how relating the dream was making him react._

_The smirk that greeted his scowl was brief, sliding away to leave Zangetsu uncharacteristically solemn._

_And weary. “**Ichigo, what am I?”** He asked, holding his gaze._

_“A zanpakutou?” Flat look._

_“A Hollow?” Vaguely approving._

_Then the term Ichigo had carefully been ignoring since he learned of it. “…one of Aizen’s experiments.”_

_“**He used his magic rock on forty four unlucky bastards, tossing all of them together in a pit for them to fight and eat each other until there was only one left. Needless to say, he made sure the rage and bloodlust was running high, both when each of the forty four were turned and during the melee. Once it was down to one, he fed it forty four more unfortunate Shinigami, using the Hogyoku to guide everything to the result he wanted. Then it was just…**” A fingernail traced a seam back and forth, and Zangetsu stared at it, clearly not seeing it. “**The only time I’ve, we’ve been around other Hollows non-violently is when we met Nel and her guys, and they’re arrancars. White technically was, too, I think, but it was definitely more like a regular Hollow in world-view. I can guess, but the why’s and explanations you came after? Nothing solid.**”_

_The quiet echoed between them, and Ichigo grew aware of the background noise, which sounded much like what he could hear in his room at night. “…I get that the pinning was dominance display, since however you slice it you have more ‘experience’ as a Hollow, and I can guess that the sex would probably be an extension of the dominance and enforcing pack bonds…” Ichigo said carefully._

_Zangetsu rolled over, not looking at Ichigo. “**Just spit it out: what freaked you out the most? Enjoying the blood and violence that undoubtedly featured? That it was sex as a Hollow with another Hollow and maybe borderline bestiality? Or that it was with—**“ Ichigo could see in the tense line of his spine the clenched jaw he couldn’t._

_The specter of Zangetsu’s actions when he was trying to protect him by taking over and bundling Ichigo into the mental version of a high tower hung in the space between them. The spirit seemed to be waiting for Ichigo to toss him into a dark corner of his Inner World, even though Ichigo also had the echo’s hazy half-memories of curling around each other and monologues he hadn’t realized the echo heard._

_Ichigo was willing to admit that he was still sort of terrified of what this Zangetsu represented. Of using the part of his power that was Hollow._

_(Of becoming like the monster that killed his mother)_

_But he also knew that there was no way he’d be able overcome Aizen and the Espada and Yhwach without the Final Getsuga Tenshou (and he’d noticed that knowledge of the technique was definitely Missing) if he didn’t at least try to accept it._

_“The stuff with the blood and claws and how all I could do was hold on and take it weirded me out since I’d never thought I’d enjoy that.” Ichigo finally admitted, making Zangetsu turn to face him, stunned. “But mostly I’m bothered by how none of the stuff I’d read was required with anal sex featured, even though I know claws would make that awkward.”_

_Zangetsu just blinked at Ichigo. “You do realize we live in an emergency clinic, right?” Ichigo reminded him. “And not all emergencies are blood and gore; some are just really embarrassing. Dad’s done his best, but nothing could keep that one woman quiet when she learned just what her husband had done to ‘amuse’ himself when she was running late and he was horny.”_

_“**…do I want to know?”** Zangetsu asked, morbidly curious._

_“Let’s just say that there is never such a thing as too much lube and too much preparation. And always keep a firm hold of whatever you decide to use.” Ichigo said firmly, carefully pushing one narrow pillow that resembled one of those pool floatation noodles away from him. “I’ve read plenty of the more literary works dealing with sex and the do’s and don’ts, mostly so I never give Goat Face that kind of ammo.”_

_Ichigo sighed and shifted the topic. “I’m trying, okay? I won’t last a minute against Aizen or eYhwach if I’m distracted because I don’t trust you or myself to not lose control. I…”_   
_Inoue heavily injured, because he was terrified of his own darkness, not wanting to face that any part of what was his Inner Hollow was really a part of him, and too prideful to ask for some help until he had no choice about it._

_“Now that I know what my soul’s made up of, and how fragile it is…” He flinched at the memory of how it felt to feel his own soul fall apart. “I shouldn’t be surprised sex would feature, right? Most of that is instincts, and it’s not like I really have any privacy.”_

_“**True. Goat Bastard would likely scream to the whole damn neighborhood about your ‘manliness’.**” Zangetsu agreed with a snort. “**And I can’t really blame ya for not trusting me. I dunno if I was just more in sync with your negative emotions or if it was cuz of being bound, but the only bits of your life I was aware of were the bad parts. Starting from that day.**”_

_No clarifying remarks were needed._

_“And I’ve always tried to have a reason to fight, if only to justify to myself that I wasn’t like the delinquents and gang members who went after me for my hair color.” Ichigo added on quietly._

_“**You let a stranger stab you in the heart for the chance to save the girls. You let a guy you weren’t sure about trusting basically kill you and stand by and wait for you to either turn into a Hollow or find your Shinigami powers with no instruction but that. I don’t need to give more examples but there’s plenty.**” Zangetsu said softly, rolling over to be next to Ichigo as Ichigo laid down himself. “**Is it really that scary to recognize that you enjoy fighting for its own sake? That if there was no other choice you’d kill to save your precious people?”** He asked, looking at Ichigo’s face even as Ichigo avoided his eyes._

_“…it’s terrifying.” Ichigo finally said. “Because of how much I enjoy it. And if I enjoy it that much, what if I enjoy killing?”_

_Zangetsu somehow managed to not roll his eyes. “**Aside from how your worry about it means you wouldn’t care about killing, just look at Kenpachi, and Grimmjow. Both of them are fight-crazy, but do you think they enjoy killing?”**_

_“No…” Ichigo conceded. “I guess they’d be satisfied if they killed their opponent after a challenging fight but not otherwise…”_

_“**Just go back to sleep, and sometime tomorrow go into where your own Hollow power is. You’ve given it its own mental ‘representation’, so you could try showin’ it your precious people and see what it thinks about them.**” Zangetsu suggested, feeling around for a blanket (sky blue) to toss over both of them._

_Without thinking much of it, Ichigo found himself curling up to Zangetsu, feeling the heat of his body even here in his Inner World. “**This okay?**” Zangetsu questioned before he could stop himself, pulling Ichigo closer as he did._

_“Always.” Breathing in a smell that reminded him of a sharp, razor edge, Ichigo feel asleep to Zangetsu’s heartbeat, less surprised that he might have been about Zangetsu having one._

* * *

The next day, in class, with Zangetsu’s help, Ichigo carefully began leaking Hollow energy into his reiatsu. His reiatsu already naturally reached out to Chad and Inoue, parts of his soul remembering the bond they had shared and seeking to revive it.

Reaching for Inoue, however, meant going through Tatsuki, and here Ichigo hesitated briefly. He hated to drag another of his friends into his world, but…

Some part of him remembered Tatsuki getting into a fight-fight with Rukia, trying to push her own guilt over having not been able to help him onto Rukia.

He didn’t know why Chad and Inoue developed powers while Tatsuki didn’t, beyond Zangetsu commenting about Chad and Inoue had traces of Hollow energy clinging to them. And his natural distrust of anything Aizen had said making him doubtful that the Hogyoku had anything to do with it.

_**You know Tatsuki-chan will murder you this time if you try pushing her away. Add in Inoue-chan’s involvement, and nothing can keep Tatsuki-chan out of the fray.**_ Zangetsu pointed out.

_True,_ Ichigo agreed, even though his reiatsu had already gone through Tatsuki to Inoue. He noticed Ishida stiffen briefly, before he seemed to make himself relax._ I know that the incident with the Hollow bait and the Menos breaking through was important, but I’m not about to let his misguided guilt and grief put innocent people in danger._

**It’s impossible to say now, but if he was aware that Masaki-san was a Quincy, part of his anger towards you may have been at you choosing an ‘enemy’ power**, Ossan proposed. **And you should begin working on Quincy techniques. There’s one, Blut Vene, that can be activated automatically whenever you take damage, but the others will require training.**

Ichigo paused, mid-kanji, as he had an Evil Idea. He could feel the Zangetsu pair consider his idea and agree, Zangetsu’s cackle loud enough in his ears that he wouldn’t be surprised if others heard it. As it was, Rukia sent him a suspicious look out of the corner of her eye, and he could feel Chad raise an eyebrow behind him.

Somehow, he mastered his evil smirk as he was called on to read a section.

* * *

Chad frowned slightly as one of his and Ichigo’s classmates that he only knew by sight hovered somewhat close by as he settled down with his lunch with Ichigo and the transfer student that was boarding with him. Some kind of devious idea had hit Ichigo in class, and he had a feeling that it related to that classmate. “Alright, just what about physics was giving you evil ideas?” She demanded, absently sticking a straw in her juice box.

“Not physics. Ishida.” Ichigo’s eyes flicked over his shoulder towards the hovering classmate. Then, raising his voice, Ichigo addressed ‘Ishida’ directly. “Oi, Ishida! Stop stalking Kuchiki and just get over here!”

Ishida sputtered as he stomped over, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Just where are you getting the idea that I’m interested in _**her**_?” He asked, something unspoken going on that implied disgust at the implication.

“Yeah, Kurosaki-kun, it’s not me that he’s been staring at.” Kuchiki said slyly, pitching her voice higher as Keigo and Mizuiro joined them. “Ishida? What is he doing eating with us?” Keigo asked.

“You mean you haven’t noticed his focus on Ichigo, Asano-san?” Mizuiro remarked, sending Keigo into a fit as both Ichigo and Ishida turned red.

“That’s right Asano-kun, I’ve noticed and I’ve only been here a couple of days.” Kuchiki fueled the fire with a smirk.

Now it would be impossible to ask Ichigo what was going on. Chad would normally be content to wait for Ichigo to say something on his own, but he could feel Ichigo reaching out to him, wistful about something.

And he was sure it involved Kuchiki somehow. “I’ll remind him to talk to you after school.” Kuchiki said quietly, as Ichigo and Ishida sniped at each other, Keigo being his usual loud self and Mizuiro texting his girlfriend.

Chad nodded slightly in acknowledgement as Inoue and Arisawa came over. “We’re kidnapping Kuchiki again.” Arisawa informed Ichigo.

“So? Go ahead, and just bring her back in one piece or Yuzu will fuss at you.” Ichigo said nonchalantly as a baffled Kuchiki was ushered away by the pair.


End file.
